Private Viewing
by TRUSSELL33
Summary: The junior squints, Hodgins, even Sweets are checking Brennan out and Booth doesn't like it at all. While trying to figure out what is going on, he learns much more about Brennan and her past than he ever dreamed existed.
1. Chapter 1

"All right, Sweets, what the hell is going on?" demanded Booth angrily. Brennan had stepped out of the office to take a personal call and Booth used this time to confront Sweets.

"What..what do you mean, Agent Booth?" gulped Sweets.

"You were checking out Bones' assets when she got up to leave and it's not the first time today. So I ask again, what the hell?"

"No, Agent Booth, I wasn't.....Oh, God, I so _was_ checking her out," muttered Sweets, a horrified expression flitting across his face as he flopped back into his chair and covered his face with his hands.

"Why. Were. You. Looking. At. My. Partner. Like. That?" At the tone of Booth's voice, Sweets shot upright, eyes wide to find Booth leaning over him menacingly.

Sweets gulped but couldn't find his voice to answer. He had never found Booth quite this intimidating before, probably because Booth had never had a legitimate reason to cause him bodily injury before but now he just might have found one. Sweets swallowed again and finally found his voice, "Agent Booth, I am so sorry. That was completely inappropriate and I swear it will never happen again."

"Wow, Sweets, do you have a crush on Bones?" teased Booth with a grin. " She is a very beautiful woman but she doesn't date twelve year olds and if I _ever_ see you looking at her like that again, you won't live to be thirteen." All amusement was gone from Booth's voice now, his eyes glinting with anger. He leaned down, completely invading Sweets personal space. The two were almost nose to nose, although Sweets was doing his best to push himself through the back of the chair to escape the wrath of Booth. "Are we clear?"

"Crystal," whispered Sweets.

Booth held his eyes for another moment. "All righty, then," he said cheerfully as he straightened and headed for the door. "See ya, Sweets" he threw over his shoulder.

Sweets slumped in his chair, trying to calm his breathing and heart rate and was suddenly struck by a horrible thought. He was fairly certain that upon their return to the Jeffersonian that 3 grad students and 1 scientist were going to be looking at Dr. Brennan in _exactly _the same way he just had and if Booth noticed there would be hell to pay. Oh, who was he kidding, of course Booth would notice. He noticed if she had a hang nail. This was so not good.

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Meanwhile in the SUV

"Booth?"

"Hmm?"

"Did something happen at Hodgins' yesterday?"

"I don't know, Bones. Rebecca let me have Parker yesterday afternoon, out of the blue and I didn't make it to Hodgins." He glanced over to find a puzzled but thoughtful expression on Brennan's face. "Why do you ask?"

"Because people have been acting strange at the lab all morning. I'm thinking that the people who are exhibiting altered behavior today were in a shared social setting yesterday and logically something must have happened that caused the development of this deviant behavior." She said with a smile, relaxing back into her seat. Happy that she had started to figure things out, she took a sip of the coffee they had grabbed on the way out of Sweets' office.

At the words "deviant behavior" Booth almost spit out the sip of coffee he had just taken. Luckily, he only ended up choking when it went down the wrong way instead of wearing it on his new suit.

"Booth, are you OK?" asked Brennan reaching over and helpfully patting his back until his coughing episode ended.

"Yeah, Bones, I'm fine. Now, why don't you tell me about this "deviant behavior" happening at the lab?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Who is acting wierd and what exactly are they doing?"

"Well, at first, I didn't really pay that much attention, but when I spoke to Wendell for the third time and _for the third time_ the dropped something, I started noticing other people were also acting oddly."

"So, Wendell dropping things is what you consider deviant behavior?" Booth asked with laughter in his voice.

"It's not just Wendell, Booth," Brennan had crossed her arms and her voice had developed a bit of a bite. "Every time I go near Hodgins, he runs off in the other direction and disappears. Mr. Fischer starts spouting some kind of strange poetry. Mr. Nigel-Murray just smiles constantly. He even winked at me this morning."

"Booth, stop laughing. This is not funny." Her voice was now indignant. "They keep looking at me kind of like Sweets was back in his office. It kind of creeps me," she ended softly.

No longer laughing, there was still a smile on Booth's face as he responded, "Creeps you out, Bones, not creeps you." Surprised, he added, "I didn't think you noticed Sweets..." he trailed off in embarrassment.

Rolling her eyes, Brennan said with a grin, "That he was checking out my assets? Yeah, I noticed."

Booth's brow suddenly furrowed and he was no longer even remotely amused. "Are you telling me that your junior squints and _Hodgins_ are looking at you like _that_?"

"Yes," with a sigh.

"And you have no idea why?"

"None whatsoever."

"Well, don't worry about it, we are about to get to the bottom of this," he said, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. _You better believe we're going to get to the bottom of this. Nobody is allowed to look at Bones like that but me._

Much to his surprise, Brennan returned his hand squeeze then entwined their fingers and gave him a soft smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Two hours later, Booth stood sipping coffee on the observation deck at the Jeffersonian just watching the action on the platform in disbelief. Brennan had been absolutely correct in her assessment of the situation. The junior squints were exhibiting behavior that left weird in the dust and Brennan was getting noticeably agitated. She was about to blow and he didn't think her interns would enjoy the show.

He had had his doubts about what was really going on when she first told him about the interns' "deviant behavior". _I mean, come on, this is Bones, no nonsense forensic anthropologist_. At least that is how they usually interacted with her. Not that he didn't think they found her attractive. How could they not? He just thought they were too scared of her to actually do anything about it. He was wrong.

His first indication of just how wrong, came almost immediately when they entered the lab, returning from Sweets' office. They had been heading to her office, his hand at its usual place on the small of her back when he heard a shout from the platform. Looking around, he saw Wendell clutching the back of Fischer's lab coat. He had apparently leaned so far over the railing only Wendells quick actions saved him from a nasty fall. Fischer paid Wendell no attention whatsoever, his attention completely focused elsewhere. Following his gaze, Booth realized that Fischer's eyes were firmly locked on his partner's rear end. With a glare at Fischer, Booth shifted his body to block the view and hustled Brennan to her office. That was only the beginning of the weirdness

Booth and Brennan spent about 30 minutes in her office finishing up paperwork on their last case. Upon its completion, Brennan immediately stood up, donned her lab coat and informed Booth that she had several sets of remains to date for some foreign university.

"So, do you want me to stick around and observe the "deviant behavior"?" he asked with a grin.

She could not believe that he actually used air quotes with her. Her raised eyebrow told him clearly that she did not appreciate his amusement, but she simply shrugged and said, "That's up to you."

As they approached the platform, Booth could see Hodgins and the three interns in what could only be described as a huddle. Glancing up at the sound of a security badge being swiped, they spotted Booth and Brennan and scattered like rats deserting a sinking ship. Hodgins, upon seeing Booth, went pale and quickly left the platform without a word disappearing around a corner. The other three went to different work stations and tried to appear busy. Brennan looked at Booth and raised an eyebrow as if to say, "I told you so."

Snapping on a pair of gloves, Brennan approached the skeleton laid out on the stainless steel table and started her exam. Booth leaned against the railing, ankles crossed, observing everyone.

"Mr. Nigel-Murray," called Brennan, "What do you make of this?" she asked pointing to a mark on one of the ribs.

Mr. Nigel-Murray approached the table, standing much too close to Brennan, in Booth's opinion. Barely glancing at the skeleton, he placed his hand on Brennan's shoulder. Brennan stiffened and looked at him incredulously. He had that stupid smile on his face. The same one he had worn all day. Then, he actually had the gall to give her an exaggerated wink. Brennan was immobilized with disbelief. Booth was not. He was shocked when Mr. Nigel-Murray touched her and was moving before he even realized it. Then, _No freaking way_, he thought, _that little nerd did not just wink at my Bones in a suggestive_ _way right here in front of me_. In seconds, Booth had physically placed himself between Brennan and the intern, debating on whether to shoot him or slug him. He settled for a light push, moving Nigel-Murray back several steps. "Whoa, there, Buddy. Back up and back off." Booth growled.

Wide eyed, the intern mumbled an apology and returned to his station. Booth blew out a breath and ran a hand along the back of his neck. He glanced up to see Wendell watching the drama and muttering under his breath. "What was that, Wendell?" questioned Booth.

"Nothing," replied Wendell, quickly returning to his work.

"I believe he said something about you shooting all of them and that he told them so, but I don't know what that means," piped in Brennan helpfully.

Booth walked over to Wendell and asked in a friendly voice, "Wendell, Care to share about what's going on here?" Wendell just shook his head, refusing to meet Booth's eyes. And the weirdness continued.

Every time Brennan spoke to Wendell, he turned fire engine red, stuttered and dropped something. To his credit, Booth never once caught him looking at Brennan below the neck. Mr. Fischer was another matter entirely. Booth lost count of the number of times he snapped his fingers in Fischer's face and directed his eyes upward. Mr. Nigel-Murray had not physically approached Brennan again but Booth caught him throwing her longing glances. Brennan was so absorbed in her examination of the remains that she had completely put the interns and their behavior out of her mind and completely missed these interactions.

Every time Booth even thought one of the interns was looking at his Bones, his hackles rose a little more and he got physically closer to her. As always, using himself as a shield between her and anything he perceived as a threat. Soon, he was practically plastered to her side and it was really pissing her off. She would order him to back off but within minutes there he was invading her space again. And while she frequently allowed him into her personal space, it was now interfering with her work and that was unacceptable. After about an hour of this, she lost patience with him and ordered him from the platform.

"No," he said stubbornly, "I'm not leaving you here with those three acting like they are." He crossed his arms practically daring her to try to make him go.

Brennan sighed and rubbed her forehead. She was developing a pounding headache. Her plan to simply ignore the actions of the interns was obviously not working. It was time to move on to something else. She reached out and lay a hand on his forearm, "Booth, these are my interns. They will behave as professionals or they will answer to me." She allowed her steely gaze to rest on each intern showing them she meant business. "Now, please, go get some coffee or take a nap in my office or whatever so I can get some work done."

The "please" did it and he caved, as always. _Take a nap in her office? Not likely_. He headed for coffee and the observation deck so he could keep an eye on things.

Booth idly scanned the entire floor of the lab. He noticed that Hodgins was still MIA and wondered what in the world was going on and who he was going to have to beat up to find out. Booth winced when Wendell dropped yet another metal tray creating an ungodly racket. Brennan refused to even let him near the bones. Booth was concentrating so hard on what was happening on the platform that he didn't hear Angela approach until she spoke.

"Hey, Studly."

"Hi, Angela." Suddenly finding inspiration, Booth asked, "Angela, what's up with the three stooges?" he asked pointing toward the platform. Angela generally knew everything that was going on so maybe she could shed some light on the situation.

"Not a clue. But they've been like that all day. I'm actually surprised Bren hasn't killed at least one of them by now." Stepping closer to the rail for a better view, she said speculatively, "If I didn't' know better, I'd think that they had all seen her naked." She didn't notice Booth's shocked gaze flying to her face. She laughed and continued, "But this is Bren we're talking about. It's not like she has sex tapes floating around out there." Booth noticed that Angela's grin was replaced by a puzzled look as she thought about something. He saw the exact moment it clicked and everything fell into place. Her eyes rounded, her face paled and with an, "Oh. My. God. No." she took off at a run.


	3. Chapter 3

Angela sped across the floor of the Jeffersonian, heading toward her office. _Oh, God_. _Let me be wrong. Let me be wrong. Let me be wrong_. becoming a mantra in her head. She tore into her office, grabbed her purse and unceremoniously dumped the contents on her desk, frantically searching through the contents until she spotted a DVD case. Grabbing the DVD, she rushed to her computer and inserted it. As she waited for it to load, she sent up a quick prayer that she was wrong about its contents. As images started to appear on the screen, she sent up another prayer. This one being that Brennan did not kill her on the spot when figured out what was going on. She grabbed her cell phone and quickly hit #1 on speed dial. "Jack, get your rear in my office NOW." she snapped, hanging up before he had a chance to answer her.

Booth had been hot on Angela's heels until he heard another clatter and a shouted "Enough" from the platform. Booth turned and winced when he saw Brennan standing in front of the interns, gesturing wildly with her hands. _Uh oh_ she only did that when she was seriously pissed. He briefly thought about intervening then decided that this time the interns truly deserved to face the Wrath of Bones. So he stood back and watched the show. Booth couldn't make out her words, she wasn't shouting anymore but she was using a very stern tone. The interns avoided her eyes and mostly looked at the floor even when she spoke to them individually. He finally saw Wendell raise his head, look Brennan in the eye and say something. Brennan nodded, spoke to them for a few seconds, then raised her arm and pointed across the room. All three interns looked at her pleadingly. She simply pointed again and ordered loudly, "Go. Now." They shuffled off the platform like dejected five year olds. Booth had to laugh when he realized where they were heading. Limbo. They were being sent to squint time out.

Brennan walked over to a chair and sat down with a sigh. She absently rubbed her temples trying to relieve her headache. This had been one of the strangest days of her professional life. And considering all her adventures in war torn countries that was saying something. She had finally got something out of the interns but they refused to give her a comprehensive explanation for their behavior and she just did not understand. They were all professionals, this was a scientific laboratory ergo they should all behave in a certain manner within the confines of the lab. To her, it was as simple as that and it freaked her (was that the right idiom) when changes occurred within her environment and there was no apparent, logical reason for those changes. She knew she had to deal with what Wendell had told her, but right now she was going to sit here for five minutes and congratulate herself for being able to resist physically smacking Fischers and Nigel-Murrays heads together. They had no idea how close they had come to physical injury. She grinned at the thought.

Booth knew from experience when to push Brennan and when to leave her alone. This was definitely one of the leave her alone times. Seeing her smile, he turned back toward Angela's office to find out what her epiphany was. He paused outside the door when he saw Hodgins standing Angela's chair. Angela looked up at him pleadingly and said, "Jack, please tell me you guys didn't watch that video Sunday."

"Well, Ange, we did. Sort of."

Angela dropped her head into her hands groaning. "Why didn't you turn it off when you realized what it was? You had to know that I wouldn't give you guys that video to watch on purpose."

Hodgins gave her a _Seriously, Are you freaking kidding me look_. "We watched it because, hello, we're guys, Ange. And what's with the attitude? You _did_ give us the tape and as I recall told us to enjoy. Man, who would have thought Dr. B had moves like that?" he sighed. At this point, he was rambling to hide his embarrassment. He knew that technically he hadn't done anything wrong but he still felt like a voyeur. Hence, his avoidance of Dr. Temperence Brennan all day.

"I know I gave you the tape and yes, I have seen Brennan's moves. I was there, remember?" Angela slumped in her chair in defeat. "She is going to kill me when she finds out about that video."

Jack was now confused. "Wait. Are you saying Dr. B doesn't know about the video? How is that possible?"

"Because she specifically told me not to tape it," whispered Angela. Booth hadn't meant to eavesdrop at first, but now wild horses couldn't drag him away from this spot. So far, he had deduced that Angela had provided some type of pregame entertainment for Hodgins' Superbowl Squint bash on Sunday and said entertainment involved a video camera and Bones. Booth swallowed hard and tried, unsuccessfully, to banish the images running through his mind. He shifted to find a more comfortable position and was jerked from his inappropriate thoughts by the sound of Hodgins' voice.

"Then why did you tape it if she told you not to?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"The truth?"

"Yeah, that would be good."

Angela shrugged. "I thought that once she got over her embarrassment, she would want the tape. And if she didn't I thought I would give it to Booth for his birthday and it might _stimulate_ him to finally make a move on Bren when he got a look at her moves." Angela finished with laughter in her voice.

Booth's mind immediately went to a very, very naughty place. He ran a hand across his face, around the nape of his neck and then back across his face. No way could Angela be saying what he thought she was saying. Could she? Nope. No Way. He knew better, but he wasn't entirely sure if he was relieved or disappointed with that conclusion.


	4. Chapter 4

Guffaws of laughter jerked Booth's head up. It took him a moment to realize that Angela and Hodgins had known he was there during the last few minutes of their conversation and were laughing their butts off at his reaction. He doubted that it had been difficult for either of them to surmise that his thoughts had been in the gutter so he didn't even try to deny it. He just gave both of them a quelling look. "Ha, ha, very funny. You two should be comedians," he said, fully entering the room. "Angela, since you seem to know what's going on here, why don't you tell me?" He shot her a charm smile.

She smiled right back. "No."

"What? Why not?" Booth was genuinely surprised. His charm smile rarely failed him. It even worked on Bones. Sometimes.

"No can do, Booth. I have to talk to Bren first."

"Why?" Booth whined.

"It's personal, Booth. After I talk to Bren, she will tell you if she wants you to know," Angela's voice said she was not going to change her mind but Booth wasn't willing to give up. He needed to know what was going on to keep his partner safe. _Yes_, he'd tell her that it was a partner thing. Oh who was he kidding? It was a Bones plus a video camera equals makes Booth hot kind of thing. _Crap_, he couldn't tell her that.

He searched his mind for a viable reason to give Angela. He suddenly smiled, _Bingo_, _Baby._ "Ange, Bones tells me everything, you know that, so you might as well tell me. I probably already know." he smirked.

Angela smirked back. "I'll bet you a hundred bucks you don't know about this."

"Done," snapped Booth. Now she would have to give him details.

"Angela," gasped Brennan, entering the room just in time to hear Angela and Booth make the bet. "I'm shocked at you. You know Booth shouldn't be gambling." Angela looked at her best friend a little shame faced and mumbled, "I'm sorry." Brennan nodded her approval of the apology.

Booth laughed. Until Brennan turned her attention to him. She walked right up to him and poked her finger in his chest, hard. "Seely Booth, I'm even more shocked at you, a degenerate gambler running around the workplace making bets." He could feel his face turning red. The second time she tried to poke his chest; he grabbed her finger and held on. They were standing nose to nose. Their eyes met and without a word being spoken, they had an entire conversation. Finally, he caved. Big surprise. "Fine. I'm sorry. OK, Bones," he gritted out through clenched teeth. Brennan gave him a brilliant smile of approval and he found himself smiling back. Angela was smart enough to hide her laughter behind her hands so as to not draw Brennan's attention back to her. Alas, Hodgins was not.

He sat back in his chair, laughing hysterically at the scene in front of him. Until hurricane Brennan blew his way. She strode over and parked herself in front of Hodgins' chair, crossed her arms and just looked at him, waiting for his laughter to subside. It didn't take long. One look at the glare on Brennan's face and his laughter fled.

"Dammit, Hodgins, what did you do to my interns?" she demanded. Hodgins looked around and immediately determined that escape was not an option. With a sigh, he realized that he had no choice but to ride out the storm. Before Hodgins could answer, Booth piped in, "Jeez, Bones, a little harsh there, don't you think? Why do you think Hodgins had anything to do with the junior squint weirdness?"

"Well, I don't know, Booth. Maybe because when they left here Friday afternoon they were reasonably competent, albeit inexperienced, professionals. Then they spend an afternoon with Hodgins and today the three of them together couldn't form a coherent sentence." she snapped, her eyes never leaving Hodgins, who was getting very nervous.

"Wow, Bones, sarcasm. I'm impressed." Booth grinned at her, trying to lighten the mood.

"Thank you. I learned from the best." She did not even glance away from Hodgins. Booth wasn't sure if her answer was more sarcasm or a simple acknowledgement of his statement, so he let it go. "Hodgins, Wendell said something happened at your house on Sunday. He wouldn't give me any details but I need to know. I can't have my interns behaving that way," she appealed to his sense of reason and professionalism.

"I...I...I," Hodgins found that he couldn't speak while pinned under that steely gaze. He looked at Angela pleadingly. Angela knew that this whole situation was her fault. She felt terrible and it had truly been an accident. But that didn't lessen her culpability. With a sigh, she prepared to take her punishment. "Bren," she said softly, "leave Hodgins alone. He didn't do anything. This entire fiasco is totally my fault. I'm the only one responsible."

Puzzled, Brennan turned to look at Angela. "How can it be your fault? We were at the spa together Sunday."

Looking from Hodgins to Booth, Angela suggested, "Maybe you and I should talk about this alone." Hodgins jumped up as if the chair had just bitten him on the butt, eager to leave the room. With one look from Brennan, he planted himself firmly back in his chair, realizing he was here for the duration.

"No, Angela, it's OK. Apparently Hodgins already knows this story and I'll just tell Booth anyway, so go ahead." Booth and Brennan pulled up chairs side by side in front of Angela's desk and sat, patiently waiting for Angela to begin, Booth giving Angela an I told you so smirk the whole time.

Taking a deep breath and hoping she still had a best friend when this was over, Angela began to speak. "Do you remember that thing you and I did _together_ about 6 months ago?" Brennan looked puzzled. _Apparently not_. "Come on, Bren, that thing we did at the club that I wanted to tape and you didn't." Angela saw comprehension dawn. Brennan's eyes widened slightly and she shot a sideways glance at Booth. Angela appeared to want to talk about this in code and she was unsure why. But she would go along with it. For now.

"Ooohhh, _that_ thing, riiiight." Brennan nodded her head exaggeratedly. Subtle she was not.

"Ok," Angela continued, "I thought that at some point you would change your mind and want the video, so I had it taped." She cringed and waited for the explosion. And waited. And waited. Finally opening one eye, Angela saw Brennan just looking at her patiently waiting for her to continue. "So when Hodgie had all the guys over on Sunday, I decided to give them a little treat. I thought I was leaving them my tape to watch but I somehow got them mixed up and left yours instead." The last sentence was so rushed, it took Booth and Brennan a second to seperate the words and make sense of them. Booth had a strong suspicion that he knew what Angela was talking about and he wasn't thrilled, but he had no idea how Brennan would react. Glancing over, he saw she had dropped her head into her hands and her shoulders were shaking. Concerned, Booth scooted closer and dipped his head down level with hers.

"Hey," he said, gently brushing her hair out of her face, expecting to see tears. She looked up and he realized that she was silently laughing so hard her shoulders were shaking. Trying very hard to control herself, she looked at Angela. _Oookay_, thought Booth, _not the reaction I expected, but, hey she's laughing she can't be that mad_. If he only knew.

Angela and Brennan had been friends for a lot longer than anyone realized. They had been there for each other through some of the worst times of eithers life. In all that time, Angela had only seen Brennan like this once. She wasn't just angry, she was on the brink of being out of control. Angela instantly knew that this was no longer about the video. It was about something much bigger and buried so deeply that Brennan hadn't faced it in 18 years. It almost made Angela physically sick that her friend was having to remember one of the most painful times of her life because of her, but maybe it was time to lay those ghosts to rest. Gathering her courage, Angela decided she'd already gone too far to back off now. She would either help Brennan or she would lose her best friend forever.

Brennan's anger had never been focused on Angela, not like this and now that it was, the hair on the back of her neck was standing on end. Deciding she might as well get this over with, she locked eyes with Brennan, who was still silently laughing, and said, "Bren, I know you're majorly pissed, so go ahead and let me have it."

"Pissed?" Booth was looking at Angela as if he doubted her sanity. "Angela, she's _laughing_." There was definitely an unspoken _Duh_ at the end of Booth's statement.

Quickly deciding that she didn't need attitude from Booth right now, she gave him her best_ Don't mess with me because I will eat you for breakfast, FBI agent or not_ look and snapped, "Trust me, Booth, you've never seen her this pissed. In fact, you might want to back up. Unless I'm seriously mistaken, she's about to blow and this is _not_ going to be pretty." Surprised by Angela's words, Booth took a closer look at Brennan's face. He caught his breath when he saw her eyes. They were a deep, deep indigo blue. He could practically see sparks shooting out of them. Angela was right. She was so angry, she was about to lose control and that was something she would fight with every fiber of her being. Instinctively seeking to soothe and comfort, Booth reached out and put his arm around Brennan's shoulder and pulled her close. Her entire body was rigid with the fight to maintain control.

"Bones," Booth whispered close to her ear, "just calm down. Everything's ok." He didn't even realize that he dropped a kiss on Brennan's hair. Brennan noticed. Her head came to rest on his shoulder, her body starting to relax as her silent laughter ceased. Hodgins noticed although he kept his mouth shut. He had absolutely no desire to draw the attention of anyone currently in the room. Angela also noticed.


	5. Chapter 5

"Booth, Hodgins, get out," Angela snapped. She knew she sounded like the queen bitch of the Universe and she hated it but she saw something in Brennan's eyes that she hadn't seen there in a very long time, with the exception of one night six months ago. She saw Tempe. That sweet, open, fun-loving young girl that had been so crushed by circumstances out of her control that Brennan had locked her away so deeply that no one or nothing could ever hurt her again. Angela had tried for years to get Bren to deal with her past, without success. She had finally come to understand that Tempe had to deal with her pain for Brennan to be whole again. The problem was that Tempe rarely made an appearance. But now Angela saw her chance and Booth was getting in her way.

Angela could see Brennan calming at Booth's petting. And she knew exactly what would happen. Bren would take herself off to Limbo to work until she reburied everything deeply enough to ignore it. That's what she did and she did it well. But it would still be there, festering, eating away at everything that Brennan could be if she could just let go of the fear and the pain. Angela refused to let that happen again. The first time, she had been too young to realize exactly what was happening or really do anything about it, but dammit this time, she was going to help Bren. Even if she hated her for it for the rest of her life. She might have more apologies to make later but right now, she had to push Brennan and if that meant being mean to Booth, then so be it.

Hodgins' escape was foiled by Booth's voice snapping, "No way. We're not going anywhere." Booth was shocked by Angela's attitude and was slowly starting to boil. Looking closely between Angela and Brennan, he could sense that this was about much more than a video and that they both knew it. Glancing over, Booth saw that Hodgins was also aware of the subtext in Brennan and Angela's conversation but he clearly had no idea what they were actually saying. Hodgins was just sitting there looking between Brennan and Angela. From the look on his face, Booth couldn't tell if he was fascinated or terrified. Probably a combination of the two.

"Angela, why are you doing this?" whispered Brennan, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"It's time, Bren." Realizing that she was going to have to push even harder, she stiffened her spine and turned to Booth. "Booth, has Bren ever told you how we met?" she asked casually.

"Not specifically, no. I just assumed you met in college." Booth was now certain that Angela suffered from a major mental illness and needed medication.

"Not quite," Angela laughed, eyes locked with Brennan, "We met" She was cut off by Brennan yelling, "Fine. Booth, Hodgins, get out."

Booth placed his hand on her shoulder, asking, "Bones, are you sure?" She finally dragged her eyes away from her staring contest with Angela to look up at him. "Please, Booth, Angela and I need to talk," she said softly. He nodded but was unable to tear himself away from her gaze. He had always thought her eyes were beautiful but now they were utterly breathtaking with sparks of temper shooting through the indigo depths. Hodgins grabbed Booth's arm and dragged him out of the room, collapsing against the wall in relief. Booth turned on him, demanding, "Hodgins, you have got to tell me what the hell is going on here."

"Hey, man, I have no idea what was going on in there." Hodgins lifted his hands as if to ward off Booth.

Shoulders sagging, Booth leaned against the wall and said, "I wish I knew for sure what was on that damn DVD."

"Now that," Hodgins said with a laugh walking to his work station, "I can help you with." He turned with a DVD case in his hand.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sitting in one of the Jeffersonian's out of the way conference rooms, Booth silently debated with himself on the wisdom of actually watching the DVD. Hodgins had handed it off and directed him to the conference room telling Booth he was sure he would want to see the video alone. Which made him more than a little nervous. He had placed it in the DVD player, his finger hovering over the play button. Would Brennan consider it an unforgivable invasion of her privacy if he watched it without her permission? With a deep sigh, he made his decision. He pushed play.

The huge screen in front of him suddenly lightened. He was confused, at first. Then her realized that the camera was focused on a pair of 4 inch black stilettos. Booth swallowed hard, certain that he knew what was coming. He was partially right. The camera slowly panned up slim, toned legs encased in black silk thigh high stockings to a firm rear end barely covered with black leather. He was groaning by now. The camera continued up a supple back completely covered in black to the exposed nape of her neck. God, how many times had he stood behind her at the lab watching her work wanting to walk up behind her, slip his arms around her waist and suck on that neck, marking her as his for the entire world to see. Never more that right now. Her auburn hair was pulled up and covered by a top hat. Her chin rested on her left shoulder, her face in profile.

Suddenly the camera pulled back and you could see that she was standing on a stage in what was obviously a strip club, a pole clearly visible in the foreground. Then the music started. It wasn't something that Booth recognized but its beat, its rhythm reverberated through him on a deep, primal level. Brennan's right shoulder started to slowly roll up and down, soon joined by her left. She spun and started slowly down the stage, her body sensuously moving to the beat of the music. Head slightly lowered she occasionally threw flirtatious glances toward someone. Booth felt the bite of jealousy and he did not like it one bit. Seconds later, Brennan gracefully lifted her arms and swept away the top hat, her hair spilling around her face and shoulders. Booth gasped.

She reached out and grabbed the pole with one hand, bending so far backward that her hair swept the floor while her other hand reached up to start unbuttoning her tuxedo jacket. Bringing herself upright, she undid the second button. At this point, Booth was in serious pain. He didn't even think he was breathing. But that was ok. As long as Brennan kept popping buttons, he didn't need to breathe. She turned her back again and strutted halfway up the stage suddenly spinning, jerking apart the edges of the tuxedo jacket and revealing a black leather bustier that exposed a generous amount of cleavage. The jacket was gone now. Brennan lifted her hands, running them through her hair, down her neck then skimming down her sides, brushing the sides of her breasts.

Through a lust induced fog, Booth realized that even though Brennan was doing a striptease, none of her movements were lewd or even suggestive. She moved with an elegant, sensual grace. One movement effortlessly flowing into another as if she were one with the music. Her head suddenly came up and the camera caught a close up of her face. Booth actually did stop breathing for a second.

This was his Bones and at the same time it....wasn't. It was there in her eyes. Those were the same eyes that he had just seen in Angela's office. Deep, deep indigo blue and swirling with emotions, even though there was no anger. She was lost in the music, the movement and the moment. She looked happy and free. Booth thought he had seen every facet of Brennan. But this woman, he did not know. But he wanted to know her he knew instinctively. Intimately. Booth spun around at a gasp and saw Cam standing at the door staring at the screen. He quickly turned off the DVD and removed it, placing it in his pocket for safekeeping.

"Did you need something, Cam," asked Booth grumpily. Hell yes, he had a right to be grumpy. Not only had Cam interrupted him before he could finish the video, he was most definitely dead meat if she mentioned it to Bones.

"Um, yeah. I did need something," said Cam, still staring at the blank screen.

"What?" prompted Booth.

"What, what?"

"Camille, what did you need me for?" His aggravation was evident in his voice.

Cam shook her head to clear it. She was so stunned by what she had just seen that she didn't even correct Booth for calling her Camille. "Oh, yeah, Hodgins said you were in here. Angela and Brennan are yelling at each other pretty loudly. Do you want to break it up or do you want me to call security?" Cam was once again in cool professional mode.

Silently cursing, Booth brushed past Camille heading for Angela's office at a trot. Hurrying to keep up with him, Cam asked softly, "Did you know she could dance like that?"

Glancing over, Booth returned, just as softly, "Cam, I didn't know _anybody_ could dance like that."


	6. Chapter 6

_Angela's office. Immediately after Booth and Hodgins' exit_.

Brennan put on her best_ I am Dr. Temperence Brennan and nothing you say can touch_ _me _face and stared at Angela. Carefully seating herself, she crossed her arms over her chest and said in her most imperious voice, "Well, Angela, they're gone. What exactly did you wish to discuss with me?"

Angela just stared at her in disbelief, and then started laughing. She really shouldn't be surprised. After all, Bren was the Queen of Avoidance. Brennan looked a little confused at Angela's laughter. _If she thinks she can just sit there and freeze me out she is sadly_ _mistaken_. Holding up her hand in the classic stop position, Angela snapped, "Don't even try it, Bren. You know exactly what I want to talk about."

Blue eyes snapping with temper, Brennan's voice was still cool. "Obviously not. Why don't you explain it to me , Angela?"

Angela leaned forward onto her desk, weight supported on her extended arms, a wicked smile on her face. "Ok, Bren, have it your way. Would you rather talk about the fact that I made a tape of you stripping? Or that I showed it to your students and colleagues?" Brennen's jaw was clenched and she was physically holding herself in the chair, hands clenched tightly around the arms. "Or the fact that they obviously liked what they saw?" Angela's heart was aching for her friend and she sent up repeated prayers that Brennan would someday forgive her. She just wasn't sure she would ever forgive herself for saying these hateful things no matter how necessary she thought it was. "Come on, Bren. Aren't you the least little bit angry about what I did." Angela saw that she had just pushed her friend beyond the limits of her control and swallowed hard, suddenly hoping she hadn't bitten off more than she could chew.

Brennan shot out of the chair so quickly that it crashed backwards with a loud thud. "Of course, I'm angry, Angela," she practically screamed. "I didn't even want to do your stupid pole dancing class, but you wouldn't shut up about it. So, I did it, because you're my friend and that's what friends do for each other. They help each other. Right, Angela?" The last words were spat so snidely that Angela was impressed. Until she realized what Brennan was implying. Ouch, direct hit, score 1 for Brennan. Not giving her time to respond, Brennan continued her tirade. "But, no, that is obviously an incorrect assumption. From your actions, I can only postulate that friends secretly tape your most personal, private moments then use them to embarrass you with friends and colleagues. How would you like it if I did that to you, Angela?" Brennan's voice was now so loud that other employees were gathering outside the office trying to see what was happening inside. Brennan continued, "I think you would enjoy it. After all, you said yourself you wanted to give the guys a treat. What's wrong, Angela? Hodgins not enough for you anymore?"

Angela physically recoiled from the scathing look sent her way. Then her mind processed Brennan's words. _Wait. Did she just call me a slut_? Another direct hit. Score 2 for Brennan. Angela realized that this was quickly getting out of hand. She had completely discounted Brennan's tendency to go for the jugular when she was feeling emotionally threatened, ruthlessly pushing that person away by whatever means necessary, thus eliminating the threat. Angela had foolishly never even considered that Brennan would use this defense mechanism on her. She had thought that she would be able to control the situation. The growing ball of fear in her stomach told her how wrong she had been.

Angela frantically searched her mind for something to say to calm the situation down enough to get them back on track.

Brennan strode across the room, blankly staring at a painting on the wall, fists clenched at her sides, struggling to contain the ugly words aching to spew forth. Vicious, cruel, hurtful things that could and probably would drive away one of the most important people in her life. She did not want that to happen. She was just so angry right now that her logical, rational self had taken a backseat to her emotional self and Brennan had learned, to her detriment, that that was rarely a good thing.

She knew what Angela was trying to do, what she wanted to talk about and she was terrified that if they had that conversation right now that they would say truly unforgivable things to each other, each losing that tether to the past that kept them on a steady course. She knew that Angela thought that she hoarded the pain from her past like a miser with gold and nothing she had said had ever convinced her otherwise. Did she have issues mostly related to her past? Hell, yes, but hey, who didn't? Case in point, Angela's refusal to accept that Brennan had moved past her own past tragedies. Did she ever think about what could have been? Of course, who didn't? Did she wish she were someone different? Not really. Despite Angela's belief otherwise, she was basically ok with who she was. She might wish to have better social skills, but there were worse things to be than rude. She made a real difference in people's lives and that was important. She knew that she closed herself off from people emotionally, but she was working on that and she honestly didn't believe that dredging up the past helped in any way. You can't change the past. You can only try to learn from the past and move forward. She could feel herself calming. She felt a hand slip into hers and grip tightly. She returned the pressure and they both stood there, quietly staring at the painting on the wall.

After several minutes of silence, Angela said softly, "Bren, I am so sorry. I know that I shouldn't have made the video. But it's been so long since I've seen you dance. I wanted _you_ to see how happy it made you, to see how much of Tempe is still there." At the name Tempe, Brennan stiffened but did not pull away. She turned her head to look at Angela.

"Ange, I believe you made that video without malicious intent. But I _am_ angry about it. I understand that everyone seeing the video was an accident, but I am _very_ angry about that. I haven't danced in public in 18 years and even though I don't really consider that dancing, it was something personal and private to me. And I'm sorry I called you a slut."

"I know." Angela had also turned her head to look at Brennan. Hodgins, concerned because of the sudden quiet after all the shouting, had quietly slipped into the room. He didn't mean to eavesdrop but was reluctant to announce his presence in case it escalated hostilities once again. So, he stood, silently keeping vigil over these two women that he cared for deeply.

Taking a deep breath, Angela said, "Bren, we need to talk about..."

"No!" Brennan pulled away and turned to leave the room.

"I miss her, Bren," Angela cried with a sob in her voice.

Brennan's steps faltered, although she didn't turn back. "I know, Ange. Sometimes I do, too." Then with a flash of rare insight. "The next time you decide I need to relive the past, ask yourself if you're really doing it for me or for you." She continued walking. Out of Angela's office. Past her own, not bothering to stop for her purse or cell phone. Out the front door of the Jeffersonian.

Hodgins approached Angela who had sunk to the floor and was quietly sobbing. "Angela, I know it's none of my business, but what was Dr. B to you back then?"

Raising ravaged eyes, she whispered, "She was my everything."

When Booth and Cam arrived in Angela's office, they found her weeping loudly in Hodgins' arms. Dr. Temperence Brennan had left the building.


	7. Chapter 7

Booth came to an abrupt stop in the doorway of Angela's office, taking in the scene before him. Angela was in Hodgins' arms, her face buried in his neck, sobbing as if her heart was breaking. Booth scanned the room. No Brennan. Hodgins, looking helpless, met Booth's eyes and mouthed, "She left". Booth spun around, pushing past Cam, who had come to a stop directly behind him and strode away. He was already inside Brennan's office before he realized she wasn't there. Grabbing his cell phone, he hit speed dial #1 then looked around and cursed when he heard her phone ringing behind him.

Sure enough, her phone was lying on her desk. Checking quickly, he saw that her purse was in its usual place. Her lab coat was absent. Thank God, she was still in the building. He headed out to check her usual hiding spots. Twenty minutes later, he was worried. He grabbed one of the guards and demanded that security be alerted that he needed to find Dr. Brennan. While the guard went to carry out Booth's orders, Booth headed to Angela's office

Angela looked up at his entrance. She was no longer crying but she looked devastated. "Is Bren okay?"

Booth sat down beside her and gently put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know, Ange, I can't find her. Do you know where she went?"

Angela looked stricken. "I don't know, Booth. What about her office? Limbo?"

Booth was already shaking his head. "Ange, what happened here?" He nodded his head indicating her office.

"We had a fight."

"That's not what I mean and you know it." Booth was getting frustrated and it was reflected in his voice.

Angela's eyes were directed to her lap where her fingers picked at her skirt. "I can't," she whispered.

"Angela, look at me!" Booth's voice was hard and urgent. Angela's eyes flew up to meet his. His agitation had increased to the point that he was now waving both arms around, but he never broke eye contact with Angela.

"Booth, even if I tell you, it won't help you find her." Her voice was getting stronger. "I _can't_ tell you. It's not really my story to tell."

Before Booth could question her further, the guard he had spoken to earlier came into the room and informed him that security videos showed Dr. Brennan leaving the Jeffersonian through the front door approximately 45 minutes ago. Demanding to see the video himself, Booth stood up to follow the guard to the security office. He was no longer worried. Now he was scared. Bones never used the front door. She always used the employee entrance. She had left without her phone or purse. He had no idea if she even had her car or house keys on her. Her car was still in the parking garage, according to security. Booth swung around. "Was she okay when she left?" There was so much concern and anxiety in his voice that Angela teared up again.

Lifting her hands in a who knows gesture, she returned, "I don't know, Booth. She was..Bren."

Nodding his understanding, he headed for the security office. After watching the security tape, he had the answer to the question that he had asked Angela earlier. Bones wasn't even close to all right. She had left the Jeffersonian through the main entrance still in her lab coat. From the vacant, dazed look on her face, Booth doubted that she even realized what she was doing. Where the hell was she? She wasn't answering her house phone and Booth was on his way out the door to go and physically see if she was at her apartment when he heard someone shouting his name.

Angela raced up, grabbing his arm to steady herself, panting from exertion. "Her mom, Booth." Seeing the look of incomprehension on his face, she straightened. "Brennan will go to her mom."

Booth grabbed her shoulders, "Are you sure?" He had such a look of hope and relief on his face that Angela prayed she was right.

Sounding more confident than she felt, she nodded. "I'm sure." As Booth hurried out, she whispered, "Go get her, Tiger." For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, she smiled.

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He found her at the cemetery. She looked like a lost little girl, sitting with her back against her mother's headstone, head resting on up drawn knees. Booth brought her here sometimes and insisted that she talk to her mother, but for her to come here on her own he knew she must have been feeling lost and alone. His heart ached for her. Walking over to her, he called out softly, "Bones," so as to not startle her. When he got no response, he squatted beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly. "Are you okay?"

"What are you doing here, Booth?" She hadn't answered his question but she didn't pull away. Easing down beside her, he placed his arm around her shoulders, pulling her toward him. She didn't move away.

"I was worried about you."

"Why?" I can take care of myself." There was no heat or irritation in her voice when she voiced this oft-repeated phrase. She just sounded utterly exhausted. They sat in silence for several minutes until Booth felt her relaxing against him. Glancing down, he saw her eyes drifting closed. He shook her lightly and her eyes popped open. "Are you finished talking to your mom?"

Instead of launching into her usual spiel about it being pointless to talk to someone after death, she simply answered. "Yeah."

"Come on, Bones. I'll take you home." Standing, he reached down and pulled her to her feet. Slinging his arm around her shoulders, he steered her toward the SUV. On the way to her apartment, he noticed that she kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. Stopping at a red light, he turned to face her fully. "Something wrong, Bones?"

"Aren't you going to ask me about what happened today?" She sounded nervous. His super confident, fearless in the face of danger Bones sounded almost frightened. It broke his heart.

Reaching out, he brushed his fingers across her soft cheek. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really." She put her hand over his and held it in place.

"Then I can wait until you do."


	8. Chapter 8

At Brennan's apartment, Booth didn't ask about coming in. He simply stepped out of the vehicle, walked around and opened Brennan's door, helping her out. It was an indication of how upset she still was that she didn't even protest this courtesy. By the time the front door closed behind them, Brennan was swaying on her feet, clearly exhausted. Booth stepped behind her, helping to remove her lab coat. Stepping around in front of her, he pulled her into a tight hug. She rested her forehead on his chest and just stood in his embrace. Finally, he tipped up her chin and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Why don't you go put on your pjs while I order us some food then you can go to bed and get some sleep?"

Brennan started down the hallway toward her bedroom without comment or complaint. In the past, Booth had often griped about Brennan's tendency to argue about every little thing. If he was honest about it, he would admit that he had often wished for a more cooperative, docile Bones. He now realized how wrong he had been. It was killing him to see her like this. He wanted his Bones back _now_. But this wasn't about him, this was about her and he needed to figure out how to help her. Sighing, he picked up the phone and called for pizza.

Realizing that she hadn't returned to the living room, he went down the hall to check on her. She wasn't there. He felt a spurt of panic wash over him until he heard the shower running in the attached bathroom. He turned to leave the room. Until he heard her sobs. Walking over to the bathroom door, he pressed one palm flat against the door and rested his forehead against the wood. "Bones," he called softly, "are you okay?" Again, she didn't answer the question.

"Booth? I'll be out in a few minutes. Okay?"

"Okay, I'll be in the living room." No answer. He knew she had heard him.

Brennan stood in the shower, a washcloth pressed to her mouth to stifle her sobs. She honestly did not know why she was crying, she just couldn't seem to make herself stop. She had to get control of herself. She could not go back out there and let Booth see her like this. She told herself that she had to be strong. Apparently, herself didn't care because the sobs continued.

After what seemed like an eternity of hearing Brennan crying, Booth couldn't take it anymore. He knocked on the bathroom door. "Bones, you've been in the shower long enough. You need to come out now."

"No." Nothing else. Just the single word. Just his luck. She had been 100% compliant and now that he _needed _her to do something, she got stubborn again. It made him smile.

"Bones, if you're not out of that bathroom in five minutes, I will break the door down," he threatened.

She could hear in his voice that he meant it. Truth be told, she wanted to be in the other room with Booth not hiding out in the bathroom and her tears had finally stopped. Feeling a smile drift across her lips, she pretended irritation. "Fine, Booth, I'll be out in five minutes. Booth left the bedroom whistling.

Exactly five minutes later, Brennan joined him in the living room wearing a thin tank top and low slung sleep pants, wet hair slicked back from her face. Booth had already taken delivery of the pizza and had everything set up for them to eat. He had also poured each of them a glass of wine he found in Brennan's fridge. Just as she passed the counter, the phone rang. From the way she stiffened when answering, Booth surmised that Angela was the caller. He could tell from Brennan's side of the conversation that Angela was apologizing profusely. Then Brennan got very quiet and Booth looked up in concern to see her repeatedly rubbing her forehead.

"Angela, you don't need me to help you talk to Hodgins. I'm quite certain you know how to use your words." Booth did a double take. Wow. Bones was getting good at this sarcasm thing.

"Yes, Angela, I'm sure that Booth is curious."

"No, Angela, he hasn't asked me about it."

"I don't know. I can only assume that he actually respects my privacy." Booth snickered at this one.

"Ange, I'm really tired and I haven't had dinner yet, but, but, but,…Fine! I'll think about it." Booth walked up behind Brennan and gently removed the receiver from her fingers. He could hear Angela still chattering away. "Ange, Bones has to go now, goodnight." Click. Booth led Brennan to the couch and handed her pizza and wine when she was settled. She picked at the slice of pizza disinterestedly then set it aside and sipped her wine.

Booth settled onto the couch beside her, close enough that they were touching from shoulder to knee. They sat and quietly sipped their wine.

Brennan finished her wine and set the glass aside. She was starting to relax and she was very tired. Yawning, she let her head drop to Booth's shoulder.

"Booth?"

"Hmm?"

"When you were a little boy, what did you want to be more than anything in the world?"

"The Green Lantern," answered Booth without hesitation.

Having no idea that this was a fictional character, Brennan inquired, "Did you ever get to be the Green Lantern?" Her eyes were drifting shut.

"Only at Halloween, Bones."

"I'm sorry." Startled, Booth looked down to see her face tipped toward him, her eyes almost closed. Smiling, he reached out and caressed her cheek.

"Why are you sorry?" he asked softly. He almost held his breath. He realized the answer to this question was probably one of the most important things Bones had ever said to him.

She leaned her cheek into his caress. "Everybody should get to be what they want to be at least once," she said almost wistfully. She snuggled into Booth's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Bones?"

"Hmm?"

"When you were a little girl, what did you want to be most in the world?" A smile drifted across her lips as she slipped closer to sleep. She answered easily.

"A ballerina."

"Did you ever get to be a ballerina?"

"For a while." With a sigh she was off to dreamland.


	9. Chapter 9

She went to sleep in his arms. Booth briefly thought of carrying her to her bed, but he just didn't want to. He liked her just where she was. He didn't have to be anywhere. Nothing short of his own death would have made him leave her tonight. He eased her down on the couch, stretched out beside her and pulled her snugly against him. She burrowed even closer, making him smile. _Who would_ _have thought Bones would be a cuddler_. Pulling a quilt over them, he pressed a kiss to her hair and closed his eyes. He was in heaven.

She woke up in hell. In that instant between sleep and wakefulness, she was again 16 years old in some nameless, faceless warehouse for unwanted children. Someone was trying to hurt her and it didn't even matter anymore. She had already lost everything. The only thing she had left was her life and she really didn't care if someone took that or not. Or so she thought. To her complete surprise, her subconscious channeled all of her pain and rage into aggression and she beat the crap out of the foster brother who was trying to climb into her bed. And in that instant, the old Temperence Brennan disappeared. And the new one was born. And the new Temperence Brennan had to be protected. All the bad memories, all the feelings, anything that allowed anyone power or influence over you had to be eradicated. Locked away somewhere so deep and dark that they could never escape. Because if they did, she knew instinctively, they would destroy her.

Booth awoke to Brennan struggling to escape his arms. She was gasping for breath and sweating. Her hands pressed against his chest, trying to break his hold on her. "Bones," he whispered urgently, smoothing her hair off her face, "It's me. It's okay. Shhh. Everything's okay." She heard him and stopped struggling but didn't relax.

"Booth, let me up." Her voice was strangled.

As soon as his arms opened, she rolled off the couch, strode across the room and opened the patio doors. She stepped outside and stood taking deep gasping breaths, her arms wrapped around herself. Booth wasn't sure if she was trying to comfort herself or keep herself from flying apart. As Booth took a step onto the patio, Brennan swung around and held up a hand to stop his advance. "I just need a minute." Her voice was shaking and her teeth were chattering with reaction. Booth disappeared back inside returning in seconds with the quilt from the couch. He spread it out and stepped just close enough to wrap it around her, quickly moving back. "Would you like some tea?" She nodded gratefully.

Brennan dropped onto one of the lounge chairs, afraid her knees wouldn't keep supporting her. Pulling the quilt more tightly around herself, she curled onto her side. Booth appeared in mere minutes handing her a cup of tea laced with whiskey and sugar. She made a face at the first sip.

"Drink it." His voice brooked no arguments. He sat on the lounger beside her, elbows resting on his knees, leaning forward. They sat in silence while she finished her tea, blankly staring at the skyline. Taking her empty cup, Booth asked, "Do you want more?" Shaking her head, she leaned back against the lounger and released a deep sigh.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Rolling her head toward him, she attempted a smile. "I really, really don't." After a moment's pause, she added, "But I think that maybe I need to."

Standing, he offered her his hand. To his surprise, she shook her head, "Let's stay out here. For some reason, it just seems easier to tell someone your deep, dark secrets when you're actually in the dark too."

Booth resumed his seat and waited for her to speak. To his surprise, she held out her hand which he clasped firmly in his. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Brennan began to lay her demons at Booth's feet.

"Angela and I met when we were both thirteen. We were both accepted into summer programs at Juliard." Noticing Booth's frown, Brennan stopped and asked, "What?"

"Juliard. Isn't that some kind of arty school in New York?"

"If you mean that it is the country's foremost school for the continuation of the arts, then yes, you are correct." Booth thought she was almost snotty while delivering this little gem and he thought that was great. He would take a snotty, lecturing Brennan over a sad, broken one any day of the week.

"Okay, duly noted," Booth hid his grin. "Wait. If it is an art school, do they even have science programs?"

"No."

"Then why were you there?"

Understanding dawned and they both said at the same time, "Ballet." And with that, Brennan was thrown 20 years into the past.

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Angela and Hodgins were lying in her bed. Angela's head pillowed on his chest, arms wrapped tightly around him as if to anchor herself. The truth was that after their breakup and the disaster with Roxy, Angela had discovered that Hodgins _was _her anchor, her port in the storm. And tonight she needed him to hold her steady from the emotional storm of the day. More importantly, she needed him to hold her here, in the present, not let her slip into the memories.

The bittersweet memories terrified her. For so many years, she had guarded them jealously, almost obsessively. She had pulled them out, examined them, then gently locked them away again until the next time she needed them. After her confrontation with Brennan today, she had realized that the one thing she had never done was to deal with them. Or to be more accurate, the feelings she had about them_. God, I'm as bad as Bren, just burying everything. Refusing to_ _deal with it or even acknowledge its existence. No, I'm much, much worse than Bren. She, at least, doesn't try to pretend to be some normal, emotionally stable_ _person when she's really so broken. I know she's still upset with me. I could hear it in her voice tonight. What if she can't forgive me this time?_ _What will I do_ _without her in my life?_

Hodgins was lying on his back, one arm curved behind his head, the other tightly wrapped around Angela. He was facing his own emotional storm. And at its center was the beautiful woman lying beside him. When they had broken their engagement, it had broken his heart. It comforted him to think it had at least cracked hers. They had both struggled to maintain their friendship and she had moved on to Roxy. It made him uncomfortable to think about that. Hodgins had decided to move on as well. He had signed up with a dating service and even let Wendell introduce him to some lovely ladies. Nothing worked. He felt like he was cheating on Angela if he even went out with someone else. Then, she and Roxie split. _Yes._ She came to him for comfort and they wound up, _surprise,_ between the sheets. Hodgins wanted to ask her to marry him again then and there, but knew she still wasn't ready for that. She had to figure out for herself that they were meant to be together and that they were just wasting time with other people. If they got back together and it didn't work out again, he didn't think he would survive. So, he waited. After all, he had watched Booth wait for Brennan to be ready for years and it looked like it was starting to pay off. For the payoff he was looking for, he could wait forever if he had to.

He had thought that they were slowly finding their way back to each other. They spent more and more of their free time together. They even had frequent sleepovers_. Hey, I never said I was a saint. _They told each other their secrets. At least he thought they did. Angela had told him about her past and it had not been, at all, like he had expected, considering whom her father was. After today, he had realized that there was a span of years that she had never spoken of. Not one word_. Why? What had happened that was so awful that it still tore her apart_ _20 years later?_ And it had to have been awful. He knew that. He remembered the look in Angela's eyes after Brennan walked out of her office today. They had been glistening with tears, but under the tears was such pain, such _grief_, that Hodgins had been stunned. Cam had suggested that he take Angela home and he had willingly complied. She had insisted they come to her apartment instead of his mansion. So here they lay, him holding her close because, right now, that's what she needed from him. And that's all that mattered to him.

Pulling herself out of her self-flagellating thoughts, Angela started to absently trace patterns across Hodgins' chest. "Hodgins, I know you have a lot of questions. You can ask me whatever you want. I'll answer it if I can."

A little puzzled by her turn of phrase, he decided to go for it. "When and where did you and Dr. B meet?"

A little surprised that he would start there, she answered honestly, "We were thirteen and I guess you could say it was sort of a cross between summer school and camp but it was…" Angela broke off and looked up as she felt Hodgins begin to shake with laughter. Eyes narrowing, she lifted her head and glared at him. "What is so funny?"

At the look on her face, Hodgins laughed harder. Between chuckles, he managed to get out, "Sorry. Angela, I just can't imagine _you_ ever going to _science _camp." With a look of disgust, Angela flopped onto her back.

"And you would be right. We met at Juliard." She stated the last word with no small amount of satisfaction. It shut him up.

"Say that again," he demanded, springing to a sitting position and leaning against the headboard.

"We….met….at….Juliard." She obligingly repeated the statement. She just did so slowly enough to let him know she thought he was very, very slow.

He just gave her a droll look at the implied insult. "Wow. I knew that you were a great artist, but I had no idea that you had studied at Juliard. Wait. What in the world was Dr. B doing at Juliard?"

"She was a dancer," Angela answered softly, scooting up and snuggling into him.

Hodgins was floored. "What kind of dancer?"

"Ballet."

With that single word, a lot of things fell into place for Hodgins. When he had accidently shown that video of Brennan at his house, he had known he should turn it off as soon as he realized what was on it. But he had found himself unable to move. Everyone in the room was absolutely mesmerized by the vision on the 103 inch plasma screen. They had reacted so viscerally to the way she moved rather than the stripping_. Not that they hadn't all enjoyed that, too_. Even though she had only removed her jacket on stage, you just could not help looking at her and thinking about the body that let her move like that.

Mentally shaking himself free of the inappropriate thoughts, Hodgins dropped a kiss on the crown of Angela's head and asked, "Was she any good?" He already knew the answer.

Angela sat up, crossing her legs Indian style. She looked directly into his eyes. "Hodgie, she wasn't just good. When she was on that stage dancing, she was… magical. I'll never forget the first time I saw her dance."

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Flashback Begins

Angela was irritated. And lost. She looked down at the map in her hands and still had no idea how to get to where she needed to be. She looked around the hallowed halls and felt a shiver of excitement work its way down her spine. She couldn't believe that she, 13 year old Angela Montanegro, had received a special invitation to participate in the summer art program at Juliard. _A program that_ _was usually reserved for those 15 years of age and older_, Angela thought proudly. They called her a savant. Although this made her chest swell with pride, it also made her a target. In the week that she had been here, she had learned that this was a cutthroat program with the goal being to win a permanent place for yourself within the program. She was disgusted with the lengths some of the people would go to make others look bad. She was just trying to concentrate on the art itself and ignore the sense of loneliness she was starting to feel. _Shake it_ _off_, she told herself. Glancing at the map again, she tried to get her bearings. After a moment, she took off down the hall and entered a large room at the end. And changed her future forever.

_Damn,_ she thought realizing she was in the wrong room. Turning to leave, her attention was caught by someone on the stage at the far end of the room yelling. Loudly. Her natural curiosity pulled her closer to the action. A man was standing center stage, arms gesticulating wildly as he yelled at the young woman in front of him.

"No, no, no, no, Tanya. You are supposed to move gracefully, not stamp around like a hippopotamus." Angela's eyes widened at the insult. _Little harsh_ _there, don't you think, Buddy_. The woman's head was bowed in a gesture of submission and she didn't answer. Deciding that this wouldn't be worth watching if the woman didn't fight back, Angela turned to go. "Temperence," called the man. Out of the corner of her eye, Angela saw a young girl step out of the line of girls at the back of the stage and walk forward. Curiosity reengaged, she turned back. The girl was obviously the youngest person there, although she was quite tall with long dark auburn hair. She was very slender and moved with an innate grace that fascinated Angela.

Thirteen year old Temperence Brennan walked toward the maestro with a sense of dread. She was afraid she knew what was coming and dreaded it. Keeping her face impassive, she stopped in front of the maestro and waited for him to speak.

"Temperence, please show these bumbling buffoons how real ballet is done," he said arrogantly.

_Wonderful. It's not like they don't already hate my guts. Now, you just had to go and insult every one of them and praise me at the same time. Thanks so_ _much. I'm sure this little snit will make me even more popular_. For an instant, Temperence thought about deliberately messing up the routine, but it just wasn't in her nature to do anything less than perfectly. With an inward sigh, she waited for the music to begin and smoothly slid into the requested steps.

Angela was studying the dancing girl. She didn't know much about ballet but she knew a lot about art, and this girl was an artist. She watched as the girl stopped dancing and the maestro strode over to her, beaming. He reached out and patted her on the shoulder like a favored pet.

"Now, that, ladies is how it is done. You could all learn a lot from our Temperence. Let's all take a break while you think about whether you really have what it takes to become a ballerina." He either didn't see or didn't care about the looks of fury coming Temperence's way from every other person on the stage. Temperence saw them, but, hey, by now she was almost used to it. Angela saw them and winced. They reminded her of the looks she usually got from the other art students. Angela bit her lip, debating on whether to approach this girl and introduce herself or not. They looked to be about the same age. She was also being held up as an example in front of the older students. Angela knew everyone was probably being really mean to her out of sight of the maestro and she was familiar with how that made you feel. It looked like they were in the same boat, so to speak. Making up her mind, she confidently strode onto the stage and walked over to the girl, who was now sitting cross legged reading some kind of science book.

As a shadow fell across her, Temperence looked up to see a slender brunette about her own age standing in front of her. She had learned quickly upon her arrival that just about any other student who approached her had ulterior motives for doing so. The other dancers constantly made nasty comments about her and basically shunned her socially. But that was okay, she always had serious reading to do. And she was certainly not about to give up this opportunity to study at the legendary Juliard because the other girls didn't play nice. She threw the girl in front of her a _what do you want_ look.

Angela wasn't at all put off by that look. She knew where it was coming from. She smiled widely and held out her hand. "Hi. My name's Angela Montanegro."

Temperence studied Angela silently for a moment. "Hi. My name's Temperence Brennan, but you can call me Tempe." She reached out and clasped Angela's hand in a firm handshake. And a friendship was born.

*End of flashback*


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 13

After relating her and Angela's first meeting to Booth, Brennan sat for a minute allowing the soft feelings these memories generated to wash over her. She needed that to balance out all the negative feelings coursing through her when she woke. She also needed it to give her strength to go where this conversation was headed. Booth's eyes never wavered from Brennan's face. He could tell from the look in her eyes and her soft smile that these were good memories and he was glad that she had some of those to pull out for comfort. He could also tell from everything that had happened in the last day that whatever she was leading up to telling him was bad with a capital B. He prayed that he had the strength to hear it.

"What happened then?" Brennan was so lost in her memories that she just blinked at the question.

"We became friends." She grinned at him then. "Within a week, we had both requested room reassignments and since we were both younger than the other students and were both "special" they allowed us to room together." Booth could have fallen out of his chair when Brennan used air quotes on the word special. He had had no idea she knew what they meant. He saw from her look of amusement that she was well aware of that fact. His eyes narrowed. _What else_ _did she know but act like she didn't?_ Her laughter told him that she knew exactly what he was thinking and he had to smile back. _Damn, it was good to hear that laugh._

"I'd be willing to bet that you and Angela caused all kinds of chaos at that school," Booth said with another smile.

"Booth, you shouldn't be gambling," she scolded gently. Booth burst out laughing. That was such a Bones thing to say. "But, if you did bet you would lose. Angela and I…balanced each other out, I guess is the best description I have."

"How so?"

"Angela was good at the social stuff. She used to call herself my social secretary and make me do all kinds of "fun" stuff." Again with the air quotes.

"And what did you bring to this partnership?" His tone was teasing.

"My brain. It was my job to talk Angela out of some of her more inappropriate endeavors. Failing that, it was my job to keep us from getting caught." The grin she tossed him was positively impish. Booth's mouth fell open in astonishment. He was having trouble incorporating the Brennan he knew with the one she was describing. _No way. Bones doing something wrong and then covering it up. I don't believe it. _ Looking into her eyes, he could see that it was true and he was intrigued by this part of her that she had never allowed him to see before tonight. "You wouldn't believe the pranks she used to talk me into pulling on some of the other students. Angela used to say that if we ever turned evil, with my brain and her daring the world would be in trouble." Booth felt a shiver work down his spine. He had a feeling that Angela was right.

"Tell me about these pranks," he encouraged.

Even in the darkness of the patio, he could see her blush. _Interesting._ She shook her head. "They always deserved it," she was almost defensive.

"Hey." He reached out and tilted up her chin. "Were they mean to you?"

"They were mean to both of us, Booth. We were at least two years younger than just about every other student there. The board of directors had to approve us even being there so, of course, the instructors paid special attention to us. To even get into the summer program at Juliard, you have to be the best of the best and there are an extremely limited number of permanent positions that are filled from the summer programs. The competitive nature of the program is actually encouraged as a way to bring out the best in the students." Taking a deep breath, she continued, "A lot of the other students used it as an excuse to torment Angela and me mercilessly. They were vicious and cruel and sometimes knowing that she was my friend was the only thing that kept me from giving up and going home and I know she felt the same way." Tears of rage were now running down her face. Booth badly wanted to take her in his arms and offer comfort. Instead, he squeezed her hand. Regaining control, she wiped the tears from her face. "At first, we just put up with it but when it started getting bad we went to the instructors, who basically did nothing and that made everything much, much worse. So, yes, we played some pranks on people, but only on the ones who had already done something to one or both of us. And do you know what? After a few of the nastier ones, they backed off and left us alone to study, which is all we ever wanted." She sounded almost proud of the pranks.

Inside his head, Booth could clearly picture the younger versions of Brennan and Angela. He could see their excitement to receive the special invitations to study at the esteemed Juliard turn to confusion at the way they were being treated by the other students. No wonder they had sought each other out and formed a strong bond. They were children who were being tormented by almost adults and not protected by the adults who should have put a stop to it. Booth's heart broke a little for the both of them at the thought of the emotional pain they must have felt. Knowing the two of them now, it didn't really surprise him that they had struck back. He found himself glad and fiercely proud that they hadn't quietly gone down for the count. That they had asked for help and when it wasn't forthcoming, they had figured out a way to solve the problem for themselves.

"I'm sure that they deserved every single thing that you guys did to them."

"They did," Brennan nodded agreement, but Booth noticed that she looked really, really uncomfortable.

He couldn't resist asking, "What was the worst prank you guys ever pulled?"

"Bluedyeinthebodywash," she mumbled, staring at the ground.

Holding a cupped hand to his ear, he prompted, "I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch that."

Pulling her hand free, Brennan crossed her arms and glared at Booth. "She deserved it, Booth." She insisted.

"I'm sure she did, Bones. What, exactly, did she deserve?"

With a long suffering sigh, Brennan decided to just answer him and get it over with.

"We put blue dye in her body wash." Booth's eyes widened, a laugh working its way up his throat.

"The color should have worn off in a few days." The laugh escaped.

"But I made some alterations in the formula because I was unsure if the current formula would actually turn her skin blue." Laugh after laugh slipped from his mouth.

"Apparently, I miscalculated both the level of adherence to her skin and the rate with which it would dissipate." She sounded puzzled, as if she still hadn't quite figured out where she went wrong. Booth was laughing so hard that he could barely breathe, he certainly couldn't speak, so Brennan continued with her explanation.

"We really had no way of knowing that she was out of shampoo and that it would turn her hair that color." Booth was beginning to wonder if you could laugh yourself to death.

"I thought that people's reactions to her altered appearance were a little disproportionate, but Angela said that they reacted that way because it's not every day that you see a walking, talking smurf," she finished seriously. Hearing a thump, she looked down to see Booth literally rolling on the floor laughing his ass off. 


	11. Chapter 11

Thank you one and all for reading and especially for reviewing.

**Disclaimer: They do not belong to me, but they wish they did because I at least let them feel each other up sometimes.**

Jack Hodgins didn't fall to the floor laughing. But he did roll around on the bed laughing so hard that Angela almost kicked him off of it.

"Jack, stop it. It is not that funny!" She repeated for what felt like the thousandth time. He paused and looked at her then grabbed his stomach and continued laughing.

"Fine," she snapped, moving to leave the bed. He took himself firmly in hand and sent her a pleading look. "I'm sorry, Ange, I'll stop." She settled herself back against the headboard. Finally quiet, he lay flopped on his back in the middle of the bed. Turning his head, he pinned her with a quizzical expression.

"What?"

"I just can't see Dr. B doing any of that stuff. You, yeah, even though some of that stuff is bad even for you. But I wouldn't have imagined _her _doing any of it, not in a million years." Angela pushed off of the headboard, lying on her stomach next to Hodgins, head propped on her hands. She gave him a speculative look, as if she was trying to figure out how much to tell him. Inwardly, he admitted to himself that he was a little hurt that she felt she had to censor her answer. Outwardly, he gave her a smile and reached out to touch her cheek.

"Ange, you don't have to tell me anything that you don't want to."

"It's not that, Jack. It's just hard to explain. But here goes. Bren didn't do those things." At Hodgins' look of confusion, she added, "Tempe did."

"I don't know what that means." They both laughed when they realized what he had said, having heard the same phrase uttered by Brennan innumerable times.

"I told you it was hard to explain." Still stroking her cheek, Hodgins waited for her to continue. With a sigh, Angela flopped onto her back and spread her arms wide, staring at the ceiling. Thinking hard, she finally said, "Have you ever seen those makeover shows on TV?" With his nod, she continued, "Well, it's kind of like that. They take someone and completely redo them and when they're finished, you don't even recognize them as the same person. And because of all the changes on the outside you're not sure they're the same person on the inside. It's kind of like that. Tempe was before. Brennan was after." With closed eyes, she waited for the question that she dreaded answering. It never came.

Hodgins rolled to his side, propped his head on his hand and laid a hand on her stomach. He desperately wanted to ask her about what happened to change Brennan, but he could tell that she wasn't ready to talk about it yet. So, he simply said, "Tell me about Tempe."

Gratefully, Angela turned her head and smiled at him. "She was the best friend I'll ever have," she said simply. "Like Brennan, she was really smart but I guess you can't really change your IQ?" Glancing questioningly at Hodgins, she continued at his head shake, "She was sometimes a little awkward with people, but I was teaching her about interacting with others and she had come such a long way. She had a wicked sense of humor." Seeing Hodgins' start of surprise, she grinned. "It's true. After we let those bullies have it, she was really popular with the other students. They thought she was hilarious." Hodgins knew Angela wouldn't lie about this, but he was having trouble seeing the popular, funny teenager in the ultra reserved, oblivious Dr. Brennan.

"She was the best person I've ever seen at reading people."

"You can't be serious," Jack burst out.

Angela gave him a pitying look. "Serious as a heart attack. People could sometimes fool me, but never Tempe. One conversation and she knew exactly what kind of person they were and she was never wrong."

"But, Ange, that kind of thing doesn't just go away. How could she go from that to being oblivious?"

"First of all, she's not nearly oblivious as all of you seem to think," she said in quick defense of her friend. "To answer your question, she just stopped caring. And then, she just stopped noticing other people. More importantly, she stopped _seeing _other people. Does that make any sense?" Oddly enough, it did. Taking a deep breath, Hodgins asked the question that he just couldn't hold in anymore.

"Ange, what happened?"

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Booth picked himself up off the floor, still chuckling. He brushed off his clothes and sat back down on the lounger. Grinning at Brennan, he said, "Bones, I just don't know what to say. I can't imagine you doing that. And he couldn't. He didn't doubt for a second that she had been smart enough to figure how to do anything she wanted to, even at the tender age of thirteen. He was continually amazed at her brains and ingenuity. It was the control thing that he was having trouble picturing. Hard as he tried, he could not see her letting herself go enough to do something like that, even with Angela's encouragement.

Sitting up, arms wrapped around up drawn knees, she rested her chin atop her knees and stared into the night. "I was….different then, Booth. I did a lot of things then that I don't do anymore." Her tone was wistful and filled with immeasurable sadness. Booth thought that even if Brennan didn't realize it, she missed doing _all_ the things she used to do and on some level, she missed the part of herself that allowed her to do those things. That part of herself she had so ruthlessly buried and repressed that it didn't even try to make an appearance anymore. Without comment, he waited for her to continue.

"By the end of the summer, I was closer to Angela than I had ever been to anyone except my parents and Russ. We were BFF's." She threw him a laughing look, expecting the start he gave at her use of the term. He smiled back. "We made all the usual promises that teenage girls make to each other." At his questioning glance, she explained. "That we would always be best friends that we would never let anything come between us, you know the kind of stuff I mean." He nodded. "Even after we went back home, we called each other at least twice a week and wrote each other daily. When we got back the next summer, it was like we'd never been apart." Brennan's thoughts turned inward, remembering how ecstatically she and Angela had greeted each other upon their return to Juliard. They were together, they were roommates again, and they were among the world's best dancers and artists in a place where their obsessions with their crafts were considered normal. Life was good. Booth saw the tender smile on her face and knew she was remembering pleasant things. He was as grateful for these memories as she. "That summer was one of the best of my life. Angela and I were both scheduled to start Juliard full term in February. We thought our lives were perfect and were only going to get better. She finally looked at Booth and the haunted look in her eyes made his gut clench. "We were wrong," she finished flatly.

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Angela looked at Hodgins and, just for a second, considered pretending to misunderstand his question. _Grow a backbone_, she told herself. What she needed to tell him was as bad as it got and if she wanted to build a life with him then he deserved to know. She had never, ever trusted anyone enough to share this. Brennan was the only other person in the world who knew because she had been there and they had survived it together. But that was all they had done. Survive. Angela was beginning to think that neither of them had really lived since then. They had simply drifted through the years marking time but neither looking to a future. It was time for that to change for both of them. Sitting up, Angela took that final step. "I need to see Bren."

At almost the same instant, across town, Brennan shot to her feet and headed into the apartment. Booth jumped up and followed her inside, seeing her head to the phone. He grabbed her arm, halting her. "Bones, its 2:30 in the morning. Who are you calling?"

Brennan placed her hand over his on her arm and looked directly into his eyes. "Booth," she said quietly, "I have to see Angela before I can tell you anymore. I want to tell you, but it's not just my story to tell." Booth removed his hand from her arm and watched as she picked up the phone and dialed.

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To Hodgins' surprise, no sooner had Angela expressed her need to see Brennan than her phone rang. Brennan needed to see Angela. Within five minutes, they were leaving the apartment, Angela refusing to even take the time to change out of her pajamas. She seemed to be afraid to give herself time to think about what she was doing. Hodgins was willing to follow her to hell and back to help her through this so he had no problem driving her to Brennan's. He had no idea how close to hell he would come before morning.

Booth opened the door to Brennan's apartment. Hodgins was a little surprised that he was there at three am. Angela not so much. Booth had to smile at the sight of Angela in pajamas covered with giant red lips. He thought Hodgins looked tired, tense and a little scared and knew that even if it didn't show, he shared these feelings. Angela and Hodgins followed Booth into the apartment to find Brennan seated on the sofa. She was so deep in thought that she started when Angela called her name. She stood as Angela approached and they threw themselves into each other's arms, hugging tightly and whispering, "I'm sorry." It was such a private moment that Booth and Hodgins looked away.

The two women sat on the sofa, hands clasped tightly. Brennan looked at Booth and Hodgins. "Could you give us a few minutes?" Both men nodded and headed for the kitchen to give the women some privacy when Angela's forceful voice stopped them. "No, boys, stay." Turning to Brennan, she continued, "Bren, they both need to hear this. We," she gestured between herself and Brennan, "need to talk about this and I honestly don't think I have it in me to go through it more than once." Seeing the doubtful look on Brennan's face, she added, "Please."

"Ange, are you sure?" Brennan looked at her friend with concern.

"Yes." Angela was calming. Now that the decision had been made, she realized that this is why she has practically picked a fight with Brennan today. Yes, showing the tape of her stripping had been a complete accident, but she had subconsciously used the episode as a way to make Brennan mad enough to talk about things that she had refused to discuss for the last 18 years. As she had said earlier today, it _was_ time. Time for both of them to deal with their pasts and give themselves permission and the opportunity to build themselves futures other than the lonely ones they were fast approaching. Giving Brennan an impish grin, she said, "I wouldn't turn down alcohol." Brennan immediately got up from the couch, went into the kitchen and came back carrying a full bottle of whiskey, one of scotch, one of tequila and 4 shot glasses. The men looked at her a little oddly but Angela just grinned and reached for the tequila. "Grab a glass, boys, and let's get this party started."

After sharing one shot of tequila with the group, Booth got up and went to the fridge. He took out a beer. Catching Hodgins' eye, he raised an eyebrow. At Hodgins nod, Booth snagged another beer and returned to the living room. So here they sat. Hodgins and Booth sipping their beers, Angela and Brennan on their third shots of tequila. Although you had to know them well to see it, the women were getting more and more tense as they worked up the courage to begin their tale. As much as Booth and Hodgins wanted to know, they held their tongues and let the women continue at their own pace.

Angela looked at Brennan, "What's the worst thing you told him?" She gestured toward Booth with her head.

"Smurf girl," mumbled Brennan into her tequila. Booth smiled broadly and Hodgings looked curious because he had no idea what they were talking about.

Angela's head whipped around. She looked at Brennan with interest and a huge grin. "Really? You told him about that?"

"He asked me what the worst prank we ever pulled was." Brennan shrugged.

Angela snorted. "She deserved everything she got, Bren. And that is _not_ the worst thing we ever did," she said decisively.

Booth's curiosity was piqued. The women didn't seem quite ready for serious conversation, so he decided to take a chance and ask some questions. "Angela, what do you think the worst thing you ever did was?" Booth was almost afraid of the answer.

Hodgins' curiosity was also getting the better of him. At the same time, he asked, "What's a smurf girl?" He watched with interest as Brennan blushed and began to fidget. Laughing, Angela chose to answer Hodgins' question first. Not noticing Booth's amusement, Hodgins took a large drink of beer just as Angela got to the good part and wound up snorting beer out his nose to everyone's great amusement.

"Can I ask what she did?" questioned Booth.

"She was a jealous, talentless, vicious witch who made Bren's life a living hell at every opportunity. When she moved on to trying to physically hurt her so she wouldn't have to compete with her, she had to be stopped." Angela's voice was hard with no hint of remorse. Booth and Hodgins nodded their understanding of her reasoning.

Brennan turned to Angela almost angrily. "Ange, surely you don't still think that Jessica was the worst thing we did?" Angela nodded. Now she was blushing and fidgeting.

It was Brennan's turn to snort. "Angela, she deliberately destroyed some of the best work you had ever done just because her paintings weren't chosen for that gallery showing. She deserved it." Brennan insisted pugnaciously.

"Maybe," Angela agreed. The tequila was working its magic and she was reclined boneless against the sofa. She turned to look at Brennan, "But Haley didn't."

With a sigh, Brennan also flopped against the back of the sofa. "Yeah, you're right. Haley didn't deserve it," she conceded. "But that endeavor did teach us the most important lesson that we learned at Juliard," she added brightly. Angela nodded her agreement. Noticing the men looking at them quizzically, they answered in unison, almost as if they had rehearsed it.

"Always make sure someone doesn't shower with their roommate before you put nair in their shampoo."


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks to all my readers for taking the time to follow this story.

**DISCLAIMER: Alas, they are not mine. **

"You know, I don't think Haley was even that mad at us after her hair started growing back curly," Angela mused. The women blithely continued their conversation, not even noticing that Booth and Hodgins had showered each other with beer at the nair remark. Booth got up and got them both towels to dry off with. He decided that Angela and Brennan had had quite enough to drink and reached for the bottles of liquor on the coffee table. Brennan caught his arm and shook her head. Booth sat back down, never breaking eye contact with her. She began to speak softly.

"I turned 15 on December 1 and my parents left two weeks later." She reached for Angela's hand and clasped it firmly but never took her eyes off Booth. "When they weren't home for dinner, I thought that maybe they had had car trouble or something, but when they weren't home by bedtime, I knew something was wrong. By the next morning, I was terrified. Russ kept telling me that everything was fine and they would be pulling up anytime, but I could tell he was as scared as I was. We called the police and reported them missing. And then….nothing. They didn't come home. They didn't even call. The police couldn't find them and nobody but Russ, Angela and I even cared." Booth noticed that she lumped Angela in as a sibling. "I knew deep down that they weren't coming back, but I refused to admit it to myself much less to anyone else. I don't remember my exact thought processes but I guess I thought that if I didn't admit it out loud then it wasn't true." Booth knew the facts behind her parent's disappearance, but never, in all their years together, had she once mentioned how she felt about all of it. He could, of course, guess and probably pretty accurately, but he wanted to hear it from her. He waited with bathed breath for her to continue.

Hodgins felt a little uncomfortable with what Brennan was revealing and then he realized that she was not opening herself up to him so much as she was reviewing facts as they related to whatever was going on with her and Angela. She was leading up to something much bigger but she needed to do it this way. Hodgins almost smiled at her methodical approach, even in something so obviously emotionally devastating. He sat back and prepared to listen to whatever Brennan or Angela needed to say.

"I was so scared inside that I didn't know what to do. Russ tried to hold things together, but I was really mean to him. I was angry at him, my parents, everybody. I refused to talk to him about anything but Mom and Dad coming back home. I drove him away." She sounded like a bewildered child and Booth wanted nothing more in that moment than to beat the crap out of Russ Brennan for making his sister feel like him leaving her had been her fault. Of course, she blamed herself; it was what she had conditioned herself to do. Before Booth could make a move to comfort her, Angela put both arms around Brennan and hugged her tightly, whispering, "Bren, you know none of this was your fault. You know that in here." Angela lightly tapped Brennan's head. "You're just having a hard time accepting it in here." This time Angela lightly tapped over Brennan's heart. Booth was surprised at Angela's insight. He couldn't have said it better himself. Brennan leaned her head against Angela's. "Thanks, Ange, it's just hard to remember."

"I know," whispered Angela, "but, Bren, we _can _face the memories together."

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*Flashback begins*

Brennan had been angry, scared and emotionally devastated by the abandonment of her parents and just two short weeks later by her brother. She had then been thrust into the wonderful world of foster care. To her mind, the system was chaotic. The placements arbitrary with no effort being made to match children with suitable foster parents (after her second placement, she began to wonder if suitable foster parents was an oxymoron) and her ordered mind rebelled. She frantically searched for something to steady her and make her world make sense again. She turned to the only person she had left in her life. Angela.

Angela was even more frantic than Brennan. She hadn't heard from Brennan in two weeks. The first week, her calls to Brennan's home had gone unanswered then she started getting the message that the phone had been disconnected. She knew that Brennan's parents had left, but had no idea that Russ had also taken off and that Brennan was in foster care. She cried in relief when the phone rang. Brennan poured out all of her fear and grief to Angela and Angela cried with her. It was the only comfort Angela had to offer her. They were able to come up with a plan for them to keep in touch. Brennan would call collect from a pay phone three times a week to let Angela know that she was okay. Thinking to offer more comfort, as they were about to hang up, Angela said, "Hang in there, Tempe. We will be back at Juliard in just six weeks. Everything will be okay." She was shocked to the core of her being at Brennan's response. Brennan sobbed brokenly.

"Ange, I won't be going back to Juliard. I'm a ward of the state now. The social worker laughed at me when I asked her about it," she said brokenly through her tears.

Angela cried harder. "I love you, Tempe," she whispered.

"I love you, too, Ange," Brennan returned and hung up the phone to return to the dismal home she had been placed in. Angela was so upset she was on the verge of passing out. As bad as things were for her friend, she had never even considered the possibility that Brennan wouldn't be returning to Juliard. After all, arrangements had been made. Permission had been given by her parents. Brennan was a world class ballet dancer and they had her stuck in foster care. They couldn't really just not let her go back, could they? Angela didn't know, but she did know someone who might be able to help. She picked up the phone and dialed Juliard.

Three hours later, the maestro called Angela back. He was shocked at Brennan's current situation and appalled at the thought of her not returning to Juliard. Angela thought that the maestro was an arrogant little dictator who treated Brennan like a windup toy but Brennan thought he was wonderful. At the moment, Angela didn't care if he was the next Adolph Hitler if he could help get Brennan out of that awful foster home and back to Juliard where she would be safe and they would be together. He promised to speak with the school administrator and attorneys immediately and get back to her as soon as he knew something. Angela desperately wished she had a way to contact Brennan right then to tell what the maestro was working on. Even if nothing could be done, it might give her something to cling to right now.

The maestro was as good as his word. He called Angela back the next day to let her know that the school lawyers were applying for guardianship of Brennan on behalf of the school. The paperwork would be filed by the end of the day. He did caution Angela that because of Brennan being in a state other than New York, there might be some delay in arranging things but they did not anticipate them gaining guardianship would be a problem. He also asked Angela to tell Brennan to call him directly at the school as soon as possible. Angela could tell that he really cared about Brennan as a person and felt a little bad about all the mean thoughts she had had about him. Not bad enough to apologize, mind you, but she did feel bad. She hung up the phone, ecstatic and prayed for Brennan to hang in there until she could give her the news in two days.

Four weeks later, Angela had returned to Juliard early and Brennan had been moved to a new foster home. The lawyers had diligently filed all the necessary paperwork and constantly bombarded the local Department of Children's Services with calls requesting approval for Brennan's return to Juliard to no avail. They had been told that the situation did not warrant an emergency removal from her current placement and they would just have to wait for the paperwork to go through the proper channels.

The social worker assigned to Brennan was a tired, bitter, old woman who had been doing this job for far too many years and who had, long ago, lost any compassion she might once have possessed for the poor, lost waifs that drifted through her office. She thought that Brennan was being treated like a prima donna and bitterly resented the frequent phone calls telling her to get it in gear and approve Brennan's transfer. She took out her frustration on the only person with less power over the situation than herself. Brennan. Just two weeks ago, she had moved her to another foster home. One which was currently under investigation for allegations that the foster father beat some of the children. There was no clear proof of the allegations so children were still being placed with the couple.

Brennan took one look at the foster father and knew he was trouble. He was a big brute of a man, with huge flabby biceps and an even bigger beer belly. His mean, beady little eyes looked at you as if he were just waiting for you to mess up to give him an excuse to strike out at you. His wife was a tiny little woman who was so timid that she jumped at her own shadow. She cowed in the presence of her husband and jumped to do his bidding, as did the three other foster children in the home. The other children were several years younger than Brennan and had all been in foster care most of their lives. They had, unfortunately, seen countless others like this man. People who took in abandoned, defenseless children for the money they were paid by the state and told themselves that they were doing the world a service by teaching these kids some manners and respect by whatever means necessary. In truth, they were one and all, twisted, sadistic bastards who preyed on the weak and helpless.

Mr. and Mrs. Finks gave Brennan a list of rules a mile long and insisted that she call them Mom and Dad. She refused. She wasn't trying to be difficult; she just could not bring herself to use those names in association with anyone other than her own parents. Mr. Finks twisted her arm painfully and told her that it was okay; she would come to see and do things their way. Brennan went to bed that night praying to God that she would soon be back at Juliard, a place of music and light, a place of joy, a place that made sense to her. _The_ place of her salvation from all the pain and horror that her life had become.

Three weeks later Brennan was still waiting. Life in the foster home was becoming unbearable. Brennan had vowed to herself that she would just keep her mouth shut and do as she was told but it was becoming almost impossible for her to keep her vow. Mr. Finks seemed bent on making her lose her temper, he constantly taunted her; telling her that she wasn't as special as she thought she was, that Juliard didn't want her anymore, hell, even her own parents didn't want her anymore and that she was going to be stuck there, in his house, until she was 18. As difficult as it was, Brennan held her tongue when he was focused on her. It was when he turned his malevolence on the younger children that she found everything in her rebelling with the need to just make him stop and leave them alone. She knew that was exactly what he wanted and so far had been able to control herself, but she knew it was only a matter of time until she fought back and she was worried about the outcome. With this weighing heavily on her mind, she made her three time weekly phone call to Angela. A call that would change everything.


	13. Chapter 13

This is a really, really long chapter, but I tried splitting it up and it just didn't flow like I wanted it to. If you take the time to read it, I think you will be pleased. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

*Still in Flashback*

Angela impatiently paced in her room at Juliard, waiting on Brennan's call. She was so nervous that she was actually wringing her hands. She had a secret that she desperately needed to talk to her best friend about, but it was not the kind of conversation you could have over the phone. She had agonized over whether to tell this secret to Brennan. _I mean, with everything else going on in her life, it's not like she needs someone else's problems to worry about. _But, Angela had found out six weeks ago that she, too, had only one person in her life that had never let her down and she needed her with her right now in a way she had never needed anything in her life. In the end, she simply answered the ringing phone and said the six words that she knew, in her heart, would bring her friend to her side. "I need you, Tempe. Please come."

At the back of her mind, Brennan had been aware that something was going on with Angela. She had even asked her what was wrong and easily accepted Angela's answer that it was lonely at Juliard without her. Too easily, she realized as she heard the fear and panic in Angela's voice. Brennan, being the organized little soul that she was, already had the bus schedule to New York memorized. She didn't hesitate to give Angela projected departure and arrival times and promised to be on the next bus out. Her friend, the one constant left in her unraveling life, needed her and she would be there no matter the consequences. If she had known, then, the true consequences of getting on that bus, she liked to think she would have done it anyway, for her friend. But in her heart of hearts, where she was always honest with herself, she just didn't know what her choice would have been.

Angela met her at the bus station. They ran into each other's arms, and held on tightly, each afraid that someone or something would rip the other away and they would, once again, be alone. Pulling away, Brennan really looked at Angela for the first time. She was shocked by what she saw.

"Ange, you look awful." And she did. She had deep, dark circles under her eyes, proof that she hadn't slept well in a very long time. She was thin to the point of emaciation. The thing that worried Brennan the most was Angela's appearance. She looked…scruffy. While Angela's sense of style was often influenced by her art, and her fashion choices were eclectic she never appeared in public with her personal grooming less than immaculate. Yet, here she stood with her hair uncombed, her clothes rumpled and unmatched and not a trace of makeup on her washed out face.

Angela laughed through her tears and hugged Brennan tightly. "God, I'm so glad to see you! Let's get out of here," she urged, steering Brennan toward the door. Brennan caught her arm.

"Ange, where are we going? We can't go back to the school. They can't know that I'm here or they will have to send me back." Angela had not thought past having her friend by her side. It only took her a moment to come up with a solution. Digging in her pocket, she held up an American Express Gold Card with no spending limit.

"Not a problem," she grinned. Taking Brennan's hand she pulled her outside the busy bus station and into one of the waiting cabs. After giving the cabbie the name of one of the more upscale hotels in the city, she sat back and grinned at Brennan.

"Ange, what's wrong?" questioned Brennan.

Without losing her smile, Angela squeezed Brennan's hand tightly and answered her question. "When we get to the hotel, I'll tell you everything, okay?"

"Okay." They continued the cab ride with each girl lost in their own thoughts.

The suite they checked into at the hotel was plush and well-appointed. Brennan had to admit that she was impressed. She knew who Angela's father was and that money had never been a problem for her but Angela never flaunted her background and she sometimes forgot. Brennan walked to the couch and sank into its softness gratefully. She was exhausted from the bus ride and closed her eyes for just a second. Angela walked to the window and looked at the stunning view of the New York skyline. She couldn't believe how scared she was. She _knew_ that Brennan would never turn on her but her experiences of the last few months had made her more wary of everyone and everything. Telling herself that everything would be okay, she wrapped her arms around her waist and whispered the words that she had been struggling to believe for the last three weeks. "I'm pregnant."

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Booth and Hodgins both stiffened in shock at Angela's words, yet, they both maintained their silence, waiting for the story to continue.

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"What?!" Brennan's eyes flew open to see Angela standing in front of the window in a defensive posture, as if she was expecting to be attacked. Brennan immediately went to her. Taking both of Angela's hands in hers, she led the unresisting girl back to the couch and seated them both. Maintaining her hold on Angela's hands she turned to her. "Ange, what happened?"

The compassion and concern in Brennan's voice almost broke Angela. She should have known that Brennan wouldn't judge her, that she would simply be there for her in whatever capacity Angela needed. She _had_ known that she realized. It was the reason she had called her friend to her side. Brennan gently brushed the hair away from Angela's face and wiped the tears from her face. Angela looked so fragile, as if she might shatter into a million pieces at any moment and Brennan was suddenly more terrified than she had ever been in her life. She thought she knew what was coming and she prayed that would, somehow, instinctively know how to help Angela get through it. When Angela didn't speak, Brennan asked quietly, "It was Paul, wasn't it?"

Angela nodded, covering her face with her hands and broke into heart wrenching sobs. Brennan took Angela into her arms, stroking her hair and whispering words of comfort. She felt an almost uncontrollable rage rise within her. Rage at all the injustices of the world in general and at the injustices against her best friend in particular. At the same time, she wanted to curl up in a ball and cry at the pain and horror her friend had been going through while she had been so concerned about her own problems that she barely noticed. She didn't have time to deal with either emotion right now. She had to take care of Angela. After what seemed like hours, Angela finally quieted and lay limply against Brennan's shoulder. Brennan continued to stroke her hair.

Finally, she asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Angela thought about it for only a moment. She had thought that she would never be able to put a voice to the dark memories haunting her, but surprisingly, she did want to talk about it to Brennan. She nodded and started to speak.

Angela's mother's name was Anna. She was a free spirited; aging hippie who believed in expressing one's emotions, especially of a sexual nature, openly and never hid her liaisons with men from her daughter. And over the years there had been many, many men. Anna usually had a brief fling with them and then sent them on their way. From the start, Paul had been different. He was a tall, soft spoken, attractive man five years Anna's junior. She was positively besotted from their first meeting and to Angela's surprise when she had returned from Juliard that second summer, there had been a strange man living in her house. Angela and Paul had gotten along fairly well. Until the last few months. During that time, Angela had matured physically, growing several inches in height and her body developing a subtle shapeliness. Paul definitely noticed. Brennan already knew all this but she didn't interrupt. Angela needed to tell this in her own way.

Even with so many men passing through her life via her mother, Angela was a little naïve about men. She was a fourteen year old girl who had picked up a paintbrush at the age of three and painted a mural from a bucket of wall paint. She had been completely immersed in her art since then. Paul's change in behavior toward Angela was so insidious that, at first, she didn't even notice. When she did notice, she couldn't put a name to the behavior; she just knew that it made her uncomfortable. She tried to talk to her mother about it, but Anna got very, very angry. At Angela. Angela didn't know what to do. She discussed it with Brennan and, together, they decided that Angela should avoid Paul at all costs. And that had worked. Until her mother's Christmas party.

Angela had put in the mandatory appearance at the party then returned to her room to continue reading a book that Brennan had sent her for Christmas. She had read for a couple of hours, then turned off her light and settled in for sleep. She was dreaming of Juliard when suddenly she was awakened by a hand being placed over her mouth. Her eyes flew open to find an obviously intoxicated Paul leering at her. Angela was crying so hard she couldn't continue. Brennan just held her more tightly, sobs tearing from her own lips. After a while, Angela quieted. She started to speak and Brennan quickly cut her off. "Ange, you don't need to tell me any more."

"Yes, Tempe, I do." Angela's voice was surprisingly strong. Brennan understood that Angela needed to talk about what had happened to her for her, Angela, and steeled herself to hear the rest. She listened, her horror and rage building, as Angela described, in graphic detail, her rape at the hands of her mother's live in lover. She listened as Angela described stumbling from her room, finding her mother and, hysterically, telling her what had happened. She listened as Angela told her what it felt like to have your mother turn on you, call you a whore, accuse you of leading her boyfriend on and throw you out of her house the day after Christmas while forgiving the person who perpetrated this horrific crime against you. She listened as Angela talked about the pain of not being able to contact her father for support, about the joy of being back at Juliard, about how much she had missed having her best friend there with her, about how she hadn't slept a full night since the attack, about how terrified she had been to suspect and then confirm her pregnancy, about her need to have her friend with her to help her figure out what to do. Angela's head had come to rest in Brennan's lap half way through her story and Brennan had been stroking her hair comfortingly. When her voice trailed off, Brennan glanced down to find that Angela had drifted off to sleep. She was glad to have time to regroup. She was in complete turmoil.

She had no idea what to say to her friend. She had no idea what to do beyond what she was currently doing. She was filled with so many negative emotions that she felt like she was going to literally going to burst into flames trying to contain them. _Oh, God, what are we going to do?_ Luckily for her and Angela, Brennan's mind was hard wired to take a problem, examine it from all angles and posit possible solutions regardless of the emotions involved. By the time Angela awoke two hours later, Brennan had options outlined in her head.

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Hodgins sat in silence, hands fisted and jaw clenched. He wanted to jump up and scream his rage and fury at what had happened to the love of his life, but, looking at the women, he knew that he couldn't do that. They were clinging to each other, tears streaming down their faces and didn't even seem to realize that he and Booth were in the room. He saw that they were totally lost in the past and that they needed to finish this. There would be time later for him to express his feelings. This time was theirs.

Booth was also filled with rage and fury. He badly wanted to hit something. Or kill someone. Like that social worker who had put his Bones in such a bad situation simply to teach her a lesson. Like that Mr. Finks who had dared to lay a hand on his Bones. Yes, he felt a deep sense of pity and rage at what had happened to Angela, but nothing like the surge of emotion that hit him when he felt his Bones was wronged. Booth reached out and laid a hand on Hodgins' forearm, squeezing gently, offering comfort. Hodgins looked at him in surprise, and then placed his hand over Booths, retuning the squeeze, offering and accepting comfort.

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Angela yawned and stretched. Opening her eyes and sitting up on the couch, she spotted Brennan across the room standing in front of the window. It was dark outside now she noted. Hearing Angela stirring, Brennan turned. She had expected them to be uncomfortable with each other after what Angela had shared, but she didn't feel at all uncomfortable. Apparently, neither did Angela. She smiled, "I'm starving. Are you hungry? Let's order room service." Angela bounced off the couch and headed for the phone. Brennan had to laugh at her enthusiasm. Ignoring the elephant in the room for the moment, they ordered room service and ate hungrily.

After dinner, Brennan realized that they had no night clothes to change into. Again, Angela's experience with being rich was invaluable. She simply picked up the phone, called someone, gave them sizes and a list of items and hung up the phone. At Brennan's inquiring look, she explained with a careless shrug. "Macy's will be sending us over a few things within the hour." They settled on the couch flipping through the TV channels. "Temp, I need you to help me figure out how to do something." Angela suddenly blurted.

"Of course, Ange, whatever you need." Brennan turned toward Angela and noticed that she was avoiding her eyes. _Uh oh. I know that look._ "Ange, what, exactly, is it that you need me to do?"

Angela lifted her chin and looked directly into Brennan's eyes. "I want to have an abortion," she said firmly. Brennan just blinked at her. She had no real opinion on the issue. It was not something that she had ever really thought about. After what had happened to Angela, she felt that it was perfectly within Angela's rights to terminate her pregnancy, but why did Angela need her help to do it?

"I don't understand." Brennan waited for Angela to explain.

"I can't tell my mother that I'm pregnant. She doesn't believe in abortion, no matter what the circumstances." Angela jumped up and began to pace the room. Brennan agreed that Angela shouldn't tell her mother, not necessarily because of her belief system but because after the way she had treated Angela, Anna had lost all claims to her daughter's affections as well as the right to be a part of her life as far as Brennan was concerned.

"Ange, what about your dad?" Angela snorted.

"He's off on a yacht somewhere for the next three to four months and I have no idea how to contact him." Brennan knew that Angela only saw her father face to face a couple of times a year and that although he provided for her financially they weren't really all that close. Angela came back to the couch, sat down and took Brennan's hands in hers. "I can't tell anyone at school that I'm pregnant. They would send me home. I can't go back there." Her voice broke on the last words. Brennan was in complete agreement that Angela could not return to her mother's home. She wasn't safe there. She was also right that Juliard would send her home if they found out about her pregnancy. So far, she found no fault with Angela's logic.

"Have you thought about calling the police?" Brennan struggled with the question, only her sense of justice allowing her to voice it. She was well aware that any police involvement would probably be awful for Angela as she was forced to relive the attack over and over. Her biggest worry was that if the police were involved and Angela's father was unreachable, Angela would be taken from Juliard and placed in foster care. With her carefree spirit and open emotions, Angela would not do well in foster care. On the other hand, she strongly felt that Paul should be punished for what he had done to Angela. Actually, she wanted to tear him apart with her bare hands and was a little resentful that she didn't have the skills to do that. She was surprised to find herself conflicted by Angela's answer.

"No. I mean, yes, I have thought about it. I just can't." Angela became agitated at the mention of the police, so Brennan let it go. She couldn't stand to be the cause of her friend's further suffering.

"Okay," Brennan agreed. "But, Ange, I still don't under…" Brennan's voice trailed off and her eyes widened. Angela saw the exact moment that Brennan understood what she was asking her to do and rushed into speech. "Please, Tempe. Please help me," she begged. Brennan could only blink at Angela. _Could she do this?_ She searched her conscience. Yes, she decided, for Angela she could do whatever was necessary.

"Are you sure?" Brennan searched Angela's eyes and saw her answer in a steely resolve that had never been there before.

"Yes." There was no doubt in Angela's voice.

"Then, yes, I'll help you." Brennan's voice was filled with determination. She returned Angela's hand squeeze. In that instant, a sisterhood was formed, a connection that bound them more closely to each other than to any other person on the face of the earth. A connection that would be severely tested by the coming events but that could never be broken.

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Hodgins' emotions were in turmoil. He was angry at the actions of others. He was sad that such terrible things had happened to two such undeserving people as Angela and Brennan. He was awed by the strength that these two beautiful women had displayed especially at such a young age and in such horrible circumstances. He was proud that they had been able to figure out how to do what was necessary. But mostly, he was glad that they had had each other to turn to when their lives fell apart.

Booth was struggling with what he had just heard. His Catholic heart rebelled at the thought of abortion. All of his life, it had been drilled into him that it was wrong and he was having trouble getting past that. _But what choice did she really_ _have?_ He asked himself. This was something that was going to take time for him to come to terms with. But, even if he couldn't agree with the decision, he could respect Angela's right to make that decision he decided. He returned his attention to the women, who were no longer crying but still clung to each other. He could tell by their body language that their story wasn't over.

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Brennan was curious as to how Angela was handling being absent from Juliard without them noticing and notifying her parents. When she asked, Angela laughingly informed her that her father had called the school and informed them that he was in town for a week and wanted Angela with him during his visit. The school had happily obliged. Brennan didn't even ask how Angela had pulled that one off. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

They spent the next two days doing research and making arrangements. Mostly, they just enjoyed each other's company, talking about everything, laughing like neither had laughed since the last time they had been in each other's company and taking in what the city had to offer like tourists. The third day, Brennan accompanied Angela to her appointment at a private clinic. It was more difficult than either expected. Angela was 100% positive that this was what she wanted, what _she needed_, to do to get on with her life. But she was only 15 years old and she was scared. She knew that she would never have been able to arrange this, much less gather the courage to go through with it without Brennan's assistance. Angela had never been more grateful for Brennan's friendship.

Brennan was also scared. Not knowing exactly what to expect really put her out of her comfort zone. She knew that Angela was comfortable with her decision and Brennan fully supported that. She knew, from their research, the mechanics of what would happen today, but she was a little concerned that Angela would be in pain or have a negative emotional reaction to the procedure as the pamphlets had pointed out sometimes happened. She knew that this clinic had an excellent medical staff and reputation. With a sigh, she decided that this was not something that she could reason her way through, she would just have to wait and see what happened. The nurses came in to move Angela to a procedure room and Brennan saw the apprehension in her eyes.

Hugging her tightly, Brennan whispered, "Ange, are you sure about this? You can change your mind if you want to."

"No. This is what I want. I love you, Tempe." She returned Brennan's hug.

"I love you, too, Ange." Brennan whispered as they wheeled Angela away.

Eight hours later, Angela was released and Brennan escorted her back to their hotel suite. Angela was having a little pain, but the doctor had given her a prescription for that and Brennan ran out to have it filled. Upon her return, she found Angela sleeping. She appeared to be resting comfortably. She also appeared to be completely at ease with her decision. Brennan was fiercely glad that was the case. It would have been unimaginably awful for her to regret her choice after it was too late to change it. Brennan quietly left the room so as not to disturb Angela and made her way to the balcony. She sat down in a chair and stared at the skyline. She was soon lost in her own thoughts.

Now that Angela's crisis was under control, Brennan's thoughts turned to her own situation. What was she going to do? She had run away from a foster home. How much trouble was she in? Would this affect the transfer of her guardianship to Juliard? She had a lot of questions and no answers. None of these questions had even crossed her mind when she had received Angela's cry for help. She honestly didn't think that it would have changed her actions if they had. Nothing short of being physically incapacitated or dead would have stopped her from coming to her friend. Her mind searched for the best way to handle the problem and she soon had a possible solution. She would have to talk it over with Angela when she woke up and get her thoughts.

Angela thought it was a great idea, so Brennan put her plan into action. Two hours later she opened the door of the hotel room to the maestro's knock. He was ecstatic to see Brennan and hugged her warmly. Brennan and Angela explained the situation to him, leaving out any mention of exactly what Angela's problem had been to necessitate Brennan leaving her foster home and coming to New York. They had worked out a story to use if necessary, but didn't want to lie to him unless they had to. They didn't have to. He never asked. He immediately agreed to set up a meeting with the school's administrator and lawyers as soon as possible. He tried to persuade them to come back to the school with him, but settled for them agreeing to meet him there first thing in the morning. Angela and Brennan went to bed that night with more hope that things would work out well than either had had in a long time.

The meeting with the school lawyers and administrator did not go well. They contacted the Dept. of Children Services handling Brennan's case and were told that she had been classified as a runaway and would have to be returned to their custody immediately. There was nothing they could do. Angela was livid. Juliard's guardianship of Brennan had already been approved. It was just waiting on some paperwork that some old biddy of a social worker was too lazy to do. _They could not send her back_. Apparently they could. After being ripped from a crying Angela's embrace, a crying Brennan was escorted out of the administrator's office by the police. They didn't put her in handcuffs at least. Angela threw herself in the arms of an obviously upset maestro, sobbing hysterically. _Oh, God, what have I done?_ Angela thought.

Brennan was scared. She was so afraid that this would affect her coming back to Juliard and she just didn't know how much longer she could survive without her dancing. It had always been a huge part of her daily routine and she missed it terribly. She missed it as much as she missed her family. It was as much a part of whom and what she was as the genes her parents had passed on to her. She did know that dancing was her passion and that without it she would be unfulfilled, incomplete and she didn't want that for her future.

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Seeing the women's increasing tension, Booth and Hodgins' both tensed unable to believe that what was coming was worse than what they had already heard, but they could tell that it was going to be bad. They just had no idea how bad.

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They sent her back to the Finks. No sooner had the door closed behind the police than Mr. Finks rounded on Brennan. He grabbed her arm and twisted it painfully behind her back, yelling about ungrateful hooligans and how they had to be taught some manners and respect. Brenna tried to talk to him, but he was beyond reasoning with. Jerking her around, he backhanded her across the face and sent her crashing into a heavy table, hitting her head. Feeling dizzy, she tried to get up but fell back to her knees. Mr. Finks strode over and lifted her to her feet. Grabbing her arm, he dragged her up the stairs. Although Brennan was very dizzy, there was no way she was letting this man get her into a room upstairs alone. She started to struggle. At the top of the stairs, he swung her in front of him, grabbed both of her arms and shook her so hard that her head bobbed back and forth. She kicked him in the shins. He let go of her hands and backhanded her across the face again. Brennan flew backwards and desperately grabbed for the stairway railing to stop her fall. She hit the first step with a loud crack and then she knew no more.

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_Oh, God_. Booth couldn't stand it. _They had sent her back into a home where_ _abuse was suspected and that lowlife piece of scum had beaten her_. A helpless, defenseless 15 year old girl who had already been through hell. He tried to hold himself in the chair but he just couldn't do it. He bounced to his feet and began to pace. He wanted to hit something so badly right now that it was a physical ache within him. He saw that Brennan and Angela were clinging even more tightly to each other and crying softly and knew that the story still wasn't finished. He didn't know how much more he could hear without losing it. He reminded himself that this was not about him; this was about his Bones and Angela. It didn't help calm him down. He badly needed some fresh air but was afraid to leave the room; he didn't want to miss one single word of this terrible tale. Feeling a presence behind him, he turned to find Hodgins standing there.

Hodgins watched warily as Booth practically leaped from his chair and began to pace. He could tell that the G-Man was on the verge of losing his cool. He couldn't blame him. Hodgins was beyond words at the atrocities the women seated in front of him had endured. He honestly couldn't imagine how Booth felt right now. Any decent human being would be horrified and enraged, but factor in deep personal feelings like Booth had for Brennan and the strength of the emotions increased tenfold. Silently, Hodgins stood and approached Booth. When Booth turned, Hodgins placed his hand on Booth's shoulder sending him a silent message. It said _Hey man_, _I feel your pain_. For a second, Hodgins thought Booth was going to punch him, but he just nodded once and, with a deep breath, resumed his seat.

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Three days later, Brennan woke up in a hospital in New York with Angela and the Maestro seated beside her bed. She had suffered a severe concussion, a broken arm, dislocated hip and viciously torn cartilages and tendons in her right knee requiring surgery which had been provided while she was out with the concussion. Her body was a mass of bruises and contusions. It hurt to move. It even hurt to breathe. But, she guessed that was better than the alternative.

Angela had been inconsolable when the school was notified of Brennan's injuries. The school's lawyers had insisted on Brennan being transferred to a hospital near the school as soon as she was stable. Unsurprisingly, they had met no resistance. Angela had insisted on meeting Brennan's helicopter at the hospital and had since refused to leave her side. She was being eaten alive with guilt. She firmly felt that if she had not asked Brennan to come to New York for her, then she would not have gotten hurt and she was having trouble dealing with it. However bad the current circumstances, Brennan was now officially a ward of Juliard and that gave Angela hope that things would soon return to normal for the two friends.

Seeing Brennan's open eyes, Angela rushed over badly needing to hug her to reassure herself that Brennan was really okay. But she was afraid of hurting her so she settled for patting her hand repeatedly. "Oh, God, Tempe, are you okay?"

Still a little groggy from the concussion and pain meds, Brennan blinked at Angela. "Ange? Where am I?"

Angela explained the events of the last three days. Apparently the police officer who had delivered Brennan into the hands of Mr. Finks had forgotten to get a form signed. He had turned back just two blocks away and returned to the house to hear obvious sounds of distress emanating from within. When no one answered the door, he broke it down just in time to see Finks hit Brennan and her tumble down the stairs. He called an ambulance for Brennan and arrested Finks who was now sitting in jail on some very serious charges. She went on to list Brennan's injuries and explain about the move to this hospital and her guardianship transfer. Brennan showed no emotion at all during the explanation. She looked at the maestro who stood on the other side of her bed smiling down at her. She only had one question. "How bad is my knee?" _Oh, God, please, no_. He wouldn't meet her eyes. "How bad?" she demanded loudly. Brennan was close to panic until the maestro answered her.

"We don't know," he answered honestly. He explained the exact injury and the surgical repair. He reached for Brennan's other hand, squeezing it not so gently until she looked at him. "Temperence, you are the best dancer I have ever seen in my life. You teach me more about true ballet than I have ever taught you. I know you. You will not let this injury stop you from being what you were meant to be, one of the greatest ballerinas in history." Brennan relaxed a little. The maestro had never lied to her and she trusted him. If he said she would still be able to dance, then she would choose to believe him until she had evidence to the contrary.

The next two months brought a new, special kind of hell. Brennan was released from the hospital after just a few days and returned to her beloved Juliard. She had immediately started physical therapy to stretch the ligaments and strengthen her knee. After a week of her going back and forth to the hospital three times a week for treatment, the maestro had taken over. And he was a hard task maker, indeed. The physical therapy was painful and exhausting and sometimes Brennan just wanted to give up, but the maestro would not allow that. He pushed and pushed and pushed until sometimes she actually hated him. But he always gave her the motivation to continue.

The first time she tried to dance, she did a simple routine. She felt clumsy and awkward and was so disappointed in her performance that she wanted to cry. The maestro grabbed her in a bear hug and swung her around, beaming. He praised her lavishly. Although she didn't quite believe all his compliments, she was smiling as she left the stage and she showed up for practice the next day. She slowly built up the range of motion in her injured knee and worked into more complicated dance pieces. She was regaining the fluidity that was just a part of how she moved and was pleased with her progress.

Angela was happier than she had been in a long time. She and Brennan were together. Brennan had talked her into getting some counseling and she was slowly coming to terms with being sexually assaulted. She had apologized to Brennan a thousand times for being the reason she was injured. Every single time, Brennan told her that it wasn't her fault and that she didn't blame her. Angela believed that Brennan didn't blame her but she blamed herself and she wasn't quite as forgiving as Brennan. Brennan was dancing again and she was happier than she had been in a long time. Angela should have known that it couldn't last.

The first time Brennan's knee gave on her during a routine it took her a moment to figure out what had happened. She was concerned but wouldn't allow herself to panic, not yet. She and the maestro discussed things and decided to increase her strengthening exercises for her knee. Over the next weeks, Brennan worked harder than she had ever worked in her life. She _would not_ let her own body betray her. She _would not_ lose the one thing in life that she wanted above all else. The only good thing, besides Angela, that she had left in her life. She held on to her belief that if you wanted something badly enough all you had to do was work hard enough and it would be yours. But no matter how many hours she spent on strengthening exercises, her knee refused to hold certain poses and it was getting worse. She was starting to have pain with certain steps. In the end, she came to understand that sometimes no matter how badly you wanted something, no matter how hard you worked for it, you just couldn't have it. _Some people just_ _don't get to be happy_. And this new understanding broke her in a way that her parents leaving and foster care hadn't been able to. It went much deeper than a broken heart. It changed her on a fundamental level, ripping away her optimism and concern for others and replacing them with apathy and an almost obsessive need to protect herself from further pain.

Over the next six months it became more and more obvious that Brennan's career in ballet was a thing of the past. Angela stood by, helplessly, and watched as her best friend, the person she loved best in the whole world changed into someone else. The sweet, fun, funny Tempe that Angela knew just ….disappeared. Day by day a little more of her went away. Angela desperately tried to get her back or at least hold onto what was left of her but Tempe proved elusive.

Brennan refused to discuss her feelings about anything and when Angela pushed she simply looked at her with eyes that were empty. No warmth. No emotions at all. Angela was also struggling with her guilt. She was sure that she was solely to blame for all Brennan's current pain, but when she tried to talk to Brennan about it she walked away, every time. So, Angela buried all those feelings of guilt and her own pain at watching her best friend disappear before her very eyes and put on a happy face, trying to just be there for Brennan. Brennan knew that Angela felt guilty although she did not blame her at all. She just could not have that discussion with Angela again without all of her pain and rage escaping and she was afraid of what she would do if that happened. So, she buried everything. Locked it away inside and tried to pretend that nothing really mattered anymore.

They both hid their pain from each other in an attempt to protect the other, and in doing so they lost each other and, ultimately, themselves. Promises were broken. Hearts were shattered. A friendship cracked.

Brennan stood on the stage and slowly looked around her trying to memorize everything about this moment to pull out later when she needed it. She picked up her bag and started down the steps. She had thought that she was beyond feeling but as she left that practice stage for what she knew would be the last time a deep chasm of pain and grief opened inside her, almost bringing her to her knees. A chasm so deep and wide that she knew if she allowed herself to fall in she would never be able to claw her way out. It would consume her. Suddenly, she knew what she had to do. Returning to her room, she found Angela just about to crawl into bed. Brennan strode across the room and hugged her tightly, whispering, "I love you, Ange."

With tears in her eyes and more hope in her heart than she had felt in months, Angela returned the hug. "I love you, too, Tempe."

The girls pulled apart and smiled at each other. Brennan got ready for bed and they whispered "Goodnight" to each other before turning out the lights. When Angela woke in the morning, Brennan was gone. It was the first time she ran.

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Booth felt the tears rolling down his cheeks and couldn't bring himself to worry about Hodgins seeing him cry. His emotions were in such chaos that he had no idea how he felt right now. The only thing he was sure about was that he wanted to wrap Brennan tightly in his arms and protect her from the world. He wanted to be with her every day and make sure that no one or nothing ever hurt her again. Brennan and Angela were still clinging to each other and whispering so quietly that he couldn't make out the words. But that was okay, he didn't think these words were meant for him and Hodgins. Looking over at Hodgins, Booth was momentarily surprised to see tears streaking his cheeks. Booth jerked his head toward the kitchen and Hodgins nodded. The men took themselves off to the kitchen giving the women some privacy.

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Brennan and Angela looked at each other. Both felt as if they had been on an emotional roller coaster and the ride wasn't over yet. Their arms were locked around each other. They were both afraid to let go, to go back to what they had become instead of what they had once been. Suddenly, "I'm sorry" burst from both their lips at the same time. They laughed and words were pouring from their lips, feelings they hadn't been able to identify much less discuss 18 years ago, their fears for themselves and each other and all the other things best friends who haven't seen each other in a very long time talk about. And in that one conversation promises were reaffirmed, shattered hearts started to mend and a friendship was strengthened. The healing had begun. They were both smiling as they fell asleep.


	14. Chapter 14

Thanks to all my readers. Special thanks to the people taking the time to review. Your words inspire me to keep writing. I can only hope that you will keep reading.

**Disclaimer: They are not mine, but I have filed for custody citing cruel and unusual punishment on the part of HH and Fox. **

Booth and Hodgins walked into the kitchen in Brennan's apartment to give  
Angela and Brennan some privacy for their talk. Once there, they turned their backs on each other surreptitiously wiping the tears from their cheeks. They each knew the other had cried at the heartbreaking story told by the women in the other room. Would they talk about it? Maybe, someday. But not today. Neither man was ashamed of the tears or the fact that the other man had seen them cry. Today was just not the day for them to become girls and start talking about their feelings. They needed to take today to encourage the real girls to talk about their feelings. Surprisingly, neither man felt uncomfortable with the other; in fact they felt a sense of camaraderie, as if they had been brothers in battle. Both men knew that the real battles still lay in front of them but, after tonight, they instinctively knew that they could call on each other for support if they ever needed it. Hearing complete silence from the living room, they glanced at each other and went to check it out.

Walking back into the living room, they saw that Brennan and Angela were both sound asleep on the sofa. Although they were no longer clutching each other as if they would never let go, they were sort of propped against each other and looked very uncomfortable. Making a quick decision, Booth looked at Hodgins. He nodded toward Angela and suggested, "Why don't you guys take the guest room? I'm sure Bones won't mind and they'll probably want to see each other when they wake up." These were the first words either man had spoken since Brennan started talking about her parents leaving and Booth's voice sounded a little loud in the silence of the room.

It was almost seven am and Hodgins was physically and emotionally exhausted. He was a little surprised at being offered the guest room, not that her thought Dr. B would mind, just that Booth didn't seem like the kind of guy to invite people to sleep over at someone else's house but he seemed perfectly comfortable issuing the invitation so maybe he and Dr. B were closer than anyone knew. Hodgins realized that his thoughts were rambling and that Booth was still staring at him, waiting on an answer to his sleepover question. "Yeah, man. Sounds good." He picked up Angela and followed Booth down the hall to the guest room.

Booth returned to the living room and stood gazing down at Brennan, a smile drifting across his face, just because it always made him happy to see her. He knew that her couch was comfortable for sleep; after all he had spent many nights on it. He also knew that her bed was comfortable. Not that he had ever spent the night in her bed, but she frequently told him how well she slept on her mattress. Making a decision that he hoped she didn't kill him for when she woke up, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to her bedroom. To his surprise, before they were halfway down the hall, she had wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled her head against his shoulder. In her bedroom, he propped her on one knee to turn down the bed then slipped her between the sheets. When he tried to straighten, her arms tightened around his neck. He gently tried to disengage her hands but she only held on tighter. "Bones, you have to let go," he whispered.

"No." She sounded grumpy and more than a little sleepy. Booth again tried to straighten without success. He reached up behind his neck and tried to loosen her death grip but found that he could not. Just as he opened his mouth to tell her to let go, she mumbled something that took away his power of speech.

"Dammit, Booth, would you just come to bed?"

_Well, well, well, who was he to argue with Bones_. He lifted the covers and slid in beside her. She finally released her grip on his neck and rolled onto her side scooting backward until her back was closely pressed against his chest. With a smile and a sigh of contentment, Booth wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer. Closing his eyes, he was asleep in seconds.

A few hours later, Booth awoke to find his arms full of a warm, sleeping Bones. During sleep, he had turned onto his back and she had turned to her other side with her face resting on his naked chest and her arm thrown across his naked stomach. _Wait. What? Naked? How did I get naked_? He was on his way to a full blown panic when he remembered getting up to go to the bathroom and that when he started back to bed he had removed his shirt and pants. _Only because of_ _the comfort issue, of course_. It had nothing to do with wanting to have his Bones as close to him as possible with as little between them as possible. He went back to sleep with a grin on his face.

Several hours later, Booth woke spooning Bones with a boner. His hand was resting on her naked stomach where her shirt had ridden up. Her bottom was pressed snugly into his groin and wasn't helping his problem at all. He wanted nothing more than to roll her onto her back and ravish her, but instead, he was a good boy. He closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep. He had almost drifted off when he heard a noise. He opened his eyes to see Angela creeping into the room. She stopped on the far side of the bed and took in the sight of Booth and Brennan spooning tightly with a huge grin and a raised eyebrow. "Angela, is something wrong?" Booth was whispering to avoid waking Brennan.

"No, I just had a bad dream and needed to see Bren," Angela replied just as softly. "Just to make sure she was here," she added

Without opening her eyes, Brennan spoke up. "Ange, if nothing is wrong, please go back to bed. I'm not ready to get up yet." With a yawn, she burrowed even closer to Booth and drifted off. Without a word, Angela lifted the covers and slid into the bed on the other side of Brennan. At Booth's raised eyebrow she laughed.

"What? Just think about it Booth, if anyone ever asks you can honestly say that you've slept with me and Bren at the same time." With a wink, she closed her eyes.

_Nice, Ange. Just the images I need running through my head right now. Thanks a lot. _Booth tried to think of the most disgusting bodies he and Brennan had ever recovered in an effort to bring his libido under control but between the feeling of Brennan pressed so closely against him and the pictures currently in his brain courtesy of Angelait was hard. Pun intended. He knew that he really should get up, but he didn't want to give up holding Bones. Besides she knew that Angela had seen them and she hadn't objected he justified to himself as he drifted back to sleep.

Two hours later, Brennan woke to find herself surrounded by a Booth cocoon. She was wrapped tightly in his arms and his left leg was thrown over both of hers, her head tucked under his chin. She felt warm and safe. It was a good feeling she thought with a smile. Feeling him stirring behind her, she turned her head, and gave him a brilliant smile. "Good morning." Even though it wasn't morning, this was the customary greeting upon waking.

Warm brown eyes smiled back at her. "Good morning, beautiful." He reached out and brushed his fingers over her cheek. Just as Brennan was turning toward him, they were interrupted by an amused Angela.

"Ahem." At Brennan's startled look, Angela laughed. "You forgot I was here, didn't you?" Brennan looked at her sheepishly.

For the first time since waking, Booth glanced toward Angela. _What the hell? No. No freaking way. There is no way that Hodgins crawled into Bones' bed while I was asleep. _Booth quickly looked away and then back. Yep. Still there. Hodgins was lying on his side behind Angela, head propped on his hand grinning at the sight of Brennan and Booth all snuggled up. Although Brennan's bed was an oversized king and there was at least three feet separating the two couples, to Booth's mind it was getting a bit crowded. In fact, there were exactly two too many people in this bed to suit him. He was startled out of his musings by Brennan slipping her hand under the covers and placing it over his where it still rested on her bare stomach, intertwining their fingers. Booth unconsciously pressed his hand harder into her stomach pulling her bottom even more snugly against him, almost groaning aloud at the sensations this sent shooting through his lower body. He was completely lost in the feelings of being exactly where he had wanted to be, dreamed of being, for so long until Angela started laughing like a lunatic.

Angela's laughter was infectious. All three of the others found themselves grinning at her and each other. Brennan was finally the one who asked for an explanation.

"Ange, what's so funny?" By this time, Brennan was also chuckling softly. Angela was laughing so hard that she was clutching her stomach and tears were streaming down her face.

"I just," hahahaha, "thought of," hahaha, "something." Hahahahaha. "If someone asked," hahahahahaha, "if you've," hahaha and gesturing between Booth and Hodgins, "ever," haha, "slept together, you'd," hahahahaha, "have to say yes." Hahahahahahaha. It took the other three a second to process what she had just said and then they reacted. Brennan absolutely howled with laughter. Booth and Hodgins looked at each other with equally horrified expressions and leaped from the bed, staring at each other over its width. Their eyes held a conversation and it went like this.

Booth: We will never speak of this again!

Hodgins: Dude, do you really think I want anyone to know that we slept together?

Booth: Hodgins!! We DID NOT sleep together and if I ever hear this little episode mentioned, I will shoot you right between the eyes. Got it?

Hodgins: YES!! None of this ever happened. Got it!

After settling that little matter to their satisfaction, they turned their attention back to the two women who were collapsed on the bed laughing so hard that the bed was shaking. Booth and Hodgins looked at Angela and Brennan then at each other. They tossed their heads, sniffed and stalked out of the room the very picture of male affront. The girls shrieked with laughter.


	15. Chapter 15

Thanks to everyone for their support.

**Disclaimer: Not mine. **

Booth and Hodgins found that stalking from a room in affronted male dignity lost something when you were only dressed in your boxers. In the hallway, they looked at each other sheepishly and Hodgins headed to the guest room to get dressed. Booth scratched his head. He couldn't stand around all day in his underwear but he could still hear sounds of mirth coming from the bedroom and didn't want to go back in there right now either. _Ah ha._ Hit by sudden inspiration, he headed to Brennan's laundry area. They spent so much of their free time together and he, especially, so frequently slept over that they had started keeping extra clothes at each other's places and he was sure that he had some sweats and a t-shirt in the laundry that she was going to do over the weekend. _Bingo._ Booth got dressed and started to think about food. He was starving and he was sure that everyone else had to be hungry too. At that instant, Brennan yelled from the bedroom for him to make himself useful and order them all some dinner. _Bossy Bones was back_ and he loved it. With a smile, he went to the phone.

Forty-five minutes later the four of them were sitting around Brennan's dining room table eating take out Chinese. Brennan and Angela had showered and gotten dressed, Angela marching into Brennan's closet and commandeering clothing as if she had done it a thousand times before. And she probably had, thought Booth, considering the long history between them. Wine and conversation flowed freely and laughter was abundant. Brennan and Angela were completely comfortable with each other and the men. The men were, surprisingly, comfortable with each other and it wasn't that they were uncomfortable with the women exactly, more that they were wary. After the emotional storm that Brennan and Angela had survived the previous night, they didn't want to accidently say something to upset either woman. After about twenty minutes of this, Angela glanced at Brennan and receiving a nod, set down her wine glass.

"Guys, we," she gestured between herself and Brennan, "know that you have questions. You can ask us whatever you want to know." Brennan nodded her agreement.

Booth and Hodgins glanced at each other warily. Yes, they both had many, many questions and yes, they both wanted answers, but they also knew that there were certain questions that should be asked in a couple setting rather than a foursome setting and the trick would be to stick to the questions appropriate for mixed company, so to speak. After about five minutes of silence, Brennan and Angela rolled their eyes at each other, grabbed their wineglasses and left the table. Startled, Booth and Hodgins looked at each other helplessly. After a few minutes, they grabbed their wineglasses and went to join the women in the living room. Booth seated himself beside Brennan on the couch and Hodgins took his place beside Angela on the loveseat.

Booth opened his mouth and winced when he heard the question that emerged. "What happened to Finks?" _Damn,_ he hadn't meant to ask that. He desperately wanted to find out what kind of punishment the lowlife had received but he didn't want Brennan to ever have to think of that horrible man and what he had cost her again.

Brennan could tell that Booth was upset with himself at having asked the question. She reached over and laid her hand over his. "It's okay, Booth. He died in prison," she said simply. Booth had a lot of questions about that but he was not about to ask any of them. He was an FBI agent, he could find out what he wanted to know about Finks' demise without putting Brennan through anything else. He threw Hodgins a look that said the balls in your court, buddy. Looking like a deer caught in the headlights, Hodgins searched his brain for an innocuous question. Booth saw the ah ha light bulb go off in the squint's head.

Grinning, Hodgins turned to Angela. "I thought that you two knew each other in college."

"We did." Angela just looked at Hodgins, no more information forthcoming.

"Well, aren't you going to answer my question?" he demanded giving her a puzzled look.

Hearing Brennan giggle, Hodgins threw her an irritated look. "What?"

"Technically, Hodgins, you didn't ask a question. You made a statement." Brennan responded with laughter still in her voice.

Grinning wryly, Hodgins turned to find Angela grinning back at him. "Angela, would you please tell us about you and Dr. B in college?" he asked exaggeratedly.

"Why, yes, Jack, I would be happy to," responded Angela fluttering her eyelashes at him. Everyone burst into laughter. When they all settled down, Angela explained that she and Brennan had not seen each other in over a year and that when they started college, they both enrolled at the same university. By some fluke, they had actually been assigned as roommates. She gave the simple facts. She didn't go into the shock that each had felt when standing face to face with the other for the first time in so long, or the joy that each had soon felt for them to be together again, or the sadness when they realized that their friendship would never be the same again. She didn't talk about how hard they had both worked to solidify their new bond and avoid any mention of anything that might put a strain on their new relationship. They had both chosen to accept the new parameters of their friendship because they still loved each other like sisters and they needed to be in each other's lives and, since then, they had. Their little dance of denial might not have been the best thing to do but it had worked for them for 18 years. Booth and Hodgins peppered both women with specific questions about their college escapades and were well entertained with most of the answers. They both answered freely until Hodgins posed a question about the drunkest they had ever been in college.

Booth had been looking at Brennan, his favorite past time, and clearly saw her face blanch at the question. She looked down, avoiding everyone's eyes. Raising an eyebrow, he looked over at Angela only to see the same expression on her face. Hodgins had also taken note of the response to his question. He and Booth looked at each other with raised eyebrows then Hodgins turned to Angela. "Angela, aren't you going to answer my question?"

Avoiding his eyes, she said quietly, "No." Simply that one word. Nothing else. Brennan had something to add, just as quietly. "We don't talk about that. Ever."

Well, of course, now the men felt a burning desire to know. After everything else they had told them in the last 24 hours, both men were at a loss to think of something so bad that they refused to discuss it, _ever. _Booth could tell by Brennan's body language that a change of subject was called for. "So, Hodgins, what's the drunkest you ever got in college?" Brennan threw him a grateful look and edged closer. Soon they were all laughing as Hodgins and Booth regaled them with some of their college adventures.

Several hours later, Hodgins nudged Angela with his shoulder and suggested that they should be going. Brennan and Angela threw each other slightly panicked looks and Brennan rushed into speech. "You could stay." Hodgins hadn't missed that look. He left the decision up to Angela.

Smiling, she announced, "It is pretty late, Jack. We should just stay." Hodgins pulled her closer and dropped a kiss on her head. The conversation turned from college misbehavior to college sports and the women got quiet. Thirty minutes later, Booth felt Brennan leaning more heavily against him and her head drift to his shoulder. Looking down, he saw that she was asleep. He angled his body to make her more comfortable, put his arm around her shoulders and continued his conversation with Hodgins, noticing that Angela had also drifted off curled on the love seat with her head in Hodgins lap.

Hodgins smiled to himself at the tender way that Booth adjusted his own and Brennan's positions to make her more comfortable. He had known for some time that Booth cared a lot about Brennan, but he now saw that it went both ways and he thought that was great. These were two people whose very essences were so different that they could hardly stand the sight of each other when they first met. And the differences were what most people still saw when they looked at them. But not Hodgins. He saw two people that had worked hard over the last several years to better understand each other and themselves. They had taken qualities that they admired about each other and at least attempted to incorporate them into themselves. They would do anything for each other without question and they would each gladly absorb any hurt the other felt. _You didn't see that kind of_ _devotion in many married couples_ Hodgins thought to himself. Twenty minutes later, he and Booth were both stifling yawns. Hodgins stood, picked up Angela and wished Booth a goodnight.

Booth just sat for a few minutes, enjoying the silence and the feeling of having Brennan so close. Battling another yawn, he stood, gently lifted Brennan into his arms and carried her to bed for the second night in a row.


	16. Chapter 16

Thank you to all my readers and reviewers.

**Disclaimer: They do not belong to me.**

Angela awoke with her head pillowed on Hodgins' bare chest and his hand softly stroking her hair. She raised herself up and gave him a quick kiss and a "Good morning" and settled herself back against him with a sigh. Smiling, he returned her greeting and continued to stroke her hair.

"So, I take it we won't be joining Booth and Dr. B this morning?" he asked with a laugh. Angela threw him an impish grin.

"Not right now. Maybe later." With a sigh, she flipped onto her stomach, propped her head atop her hand which was resting on his chest and gave him a serious look. "Jack, we need to talk." He returned the look with equal seriousness while continuing to stroke her hair.

"I know. I just don't know where to start." Gazing into his blue eyes, she saw the questions swirling there. She also saw his fear of asking certain ones and decided to take the bull by the horns. Gathering her courage, she did just that.

"You want to know about Paul." She noted how his jaw clenched and his hands fisted at the mention of the name.

"Only if you want to tell me," he gritted through clenched teeth, staring fixedly at the ceiling. He was trying to relax so as not to upset Angela but just the mention of that name filled him with such impotent rage that he was finding it difficult not to jump up and start punching things. Shifting her position, Angela placed a hand on either side of his face and tried to force his eyes to meet hers. He resisted.

"Jack, look at me," she said sternly. His gaze met hers. Her face was filled with sadness, but Hodgins' didn't really see any anger. "What he did to me was awful. It was painful and degrading.."

Unable to stop himself, Hodgins interrupted, "Ange, please, I don't want details," he begged. He knew that he should listen to whatever she wanted to share with him, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to hear details without throwing up. He gave her a pleading look. She gave him an understanding smile and gently stroked his face. He felt like a heel. They were talking about a sexual assault perpetrated against her and _she_ was comforting _him_. He stiffened his spine. Reaching out he stroked her cheek. "I'm sorry, Baby. You can tell me anything," he offered.

"He had no right to do that to me. He took something away from me, Jack. I don't just mean my virginity. He took a piece of my soul." Hodgins nodded to let her know he understood what she was saying. "I didn't trust men for a long time. I think that is at least partially why I turned to Roxy the first time." At the mention of Roxy, she threw him a look from underneath her lashes to gauge his reaction. He remained impassive. "Tempe insisted that I go to counseling and found me a program where I felt that I could trust them to keep everything confidential. It took years, but I finally came to terms with what happened." Taking a deep breath, she continued, "As awful as what he did to me was, in some ways, what my mother did to me was worse. She knew that I was telling her the truth and she didn't care. She just didn't want anything to upset what she considered her perfect little life, so she threw me away." Angela's voice had turned cold and hard and her face was filled with all the anger Hodgins had expected to see earlier. Rolling onto his side, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly to him, pressing kisses to her hair and cheek.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Baby. I wish I could make it all better for you." Despite the subject matter, the earnestness in his voice made her smile. She returned the hug.

"You are, Jack. You're helping me just by being here and listening." Hodgins felt his heart melt at her words. Keeping her tightly in his arms, he went back to stroking her hair.

"Do you ever see your mother?"

"No." Her voice was flat and for a minute, Hodgins thought that was all the answer he was going to get. With a sigh, she continued, "I haven't willingly seen or spoken to my mother in 18 years." She looked up at him and he could see the fear in her eyes that he would find fault with her for her actions, but he couldn't. He couldn't imagine the sense of betrayal that she had felt when her mother turned her back on Angela and absolved Paul of his actions. Anna had deserved much worse than simply being cut out of her daughter's life, in his opinion.

"How is that possible? Wasn't she your legal guardian?" Hodgins just couldn't help the questions popping out. His scientific nature demanded that he gather as much data as possible about any given situation.

"Yes, she was my legal guardian at the time." Angela shifted out of his arms and rolled onto her back. Looking at her, Hodgins could see that she wasn't upset with his questions, she just needed some space. "When Tempe left Juliard, it was just too hard for me to be there. As soon as my father came home, I called him and told him that I wanted to leave school and stay with him. I was really scared that he wouldn't want me to live with him, but he was thrilled." She was smiling fondly at the memory. "I couldn't tell him what really happened so I just told him that Mom and I had a huge blow out and that I didn't want to see or talk to her and he was cool with that. He called her and told her that I was staying with him and that's what I did. She's tried to talk to me a few times over the years, but I'm not interested in anything she has to say." Her voice had such a note of finality that Hodgins was startled. He debated the wisdom of his next question and decided to just ask. If she didn't want to answer him, she wouldn't and he needed to know.

"What happened to Paul?" Angela rolled her head to look at him and he was shocked at the look of rage on her face.

"My mother married him 5 days after Christmas."

_OH. MY. GOD. Please tell me that she didn't just say that, knowing the_ _situation, her mother married her rapist just 5 freaking days after the attack. _ This was the most horrifying thing Hodgins had ever heard. In his entire life. He had no words to respond. All he could do was look at her. He knew that she could see his shock and horror at her words and desperately tried to school his features into impassivity. She reached out and touched his cheek, giving him a soft smile, and whispered, "Thank you." He knew that she was thanking him for feeling outrage on her behalf, but, dammit, who wouldn't. What her mother had done was unspeakable, unforgivable.

"About three months after I went to live with my father, Paul was found beaten and shot to death in an alley in a neighborhood with a lot of drug activity. The police thought he was there to buy drugs and messed with the wrong people. My dad said that must have been what happened." Her voice held no emotion whatsoever when she talked about Paul's death, but Hodgins heard the warmth and gratitude creep into it when she spoke of her father.

Having had some personal experience with her father, Hodgins asked suspiciously, "Ange, are you sure your father didn't know what happened?"

"I never told my father a thing about what happened." She was avoiding his eyes. She'd never uttered a word to her father about what Paul had done to her, but she had a sneaking suspicion that he had figured it out. About a week before Paul's death, her mother had come to her father's house demanding to see Angela. When he saw how hysterical Angela became at the prospect, he told Anna to leave and they'd had a huge fight. Angela could hear them yelling at each other several rooms away. When Anna finally left, her father came to her and promised that she would never have to see her mother again unless she wanted to. He did not mention Paul's name. But he had seemed to be even more protective of her after that day. She had never allowed her thoughts to travel any further down that road. As far as she was concerned, Paul was killed by drug dealers. End of story.

Hodgins' conspiracy theorist thoughts were racing down that road. Was he really considering the possibility that Angela's father had either killed Paul or had him killed? Yes, he was. His eyes widened at the realization. Had Paul deserved it? Absolutely. Should Angela's father be punished if he was responsible? Hodgins would never have thought that he would be of the opinion that letting a murderer go free would be in the interest of justice, but in this case, he quickly decided, Angela's father had done what he felt he had to do. Besides, what did he really know? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. He was just some crazy conspiracy theorist that no one would believe even if he said anything, which he would never do. As far as he was concerned, Paul was killed by drug dealers. End of story.

Angela knew Hodgins very, very well. She could see the suspicion in his eyes and that his mind was whirling to process his thoughts. She could see the moment he decided that it didn't matter who had been responsible for Paul's death and that he would never, ever voice any of his questions aloud. She didn't mean to say the words, they just slipped out of her mouth. "I love you, Jack Hodgins." Hodgins startled gaze flew to hers. Her eyes were a soft, loving brown and there was a soft smile on her face. She suddenly found Hodgins suspended above her smiling broadly.

"I love you, too, Angela Montanegro. Will you marry me?" _Wait. Where the_ _hell had that come from?_ Well, of course, he loved her and he wanted to marry her, but he'd had no intention of asking her for a very long time. He felt a moment of panic until he noticed the biggest smile he had ever seen on anyone spreading across Angela's face. He felt a matching smile take over his own face.

"Yes." She whispered as she reached up and pulled him down until their lips met.


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks to all my readers for putting up with the access problems and following the story. I would appreciate any reviews. Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: They're not mine. **

He was surrounded by her scent, a warm vanilla with just a hint of something light and floral. He was surrounded by her warmth as she pressed her naked body against him. Wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing his head up, she nipped his top lip with her sharp little teeth then, at his gasp, slid just the tip of her tongue barely into his mouth. She gave a throaty little laugh and pulled back slightly when he attempted to deepen the kiss. Sliding her hands from around his neck, she let them roam his chest, touching and stroking every inch of his chest and stomach moving infinitesimally lower with each stroke. His abs clenched with every stroke and he groaned every time she ventured south of the border. His hands moved lazily up and down her back, loving the feel of all that satiny soft skin, thumbs extended and brushing the sides of her breasts. She returned to his lips giving him teasing, nipping little kisses. He slid a hand up to tangle it in her hair and draw her down for a deeper kiss, but she braced her extended arms against the bed and resisted, giving him a wicked smile and shaking her head. _Enough,_ he decided. Wrapping his arms around her, he rolled them over planting himself on top, groins pressed tightly together, legs tangling. They both gasped at the contact. He pulled her arms above her head and held them firmly against the mattress while she pouted up at him. He grinned at her expression, leaning in and nibbled at her lips. Their new positions caused his chest to brush against hers and she gasped at the contact. He took advantage of her open mouth and slid his tongue inside, thoroughly exploring every inch of her mouth. She moaned and tried to follow his lips as he pulled back, her eyes flickering open as she realized that in her current position, she couldn't lift her head far enough to reconnect their lips. She frowned.

"No fair, Booth," she complained. He laughed.

"You weren't just doing the same thing to me?" He gazed down into eyes the color of the ocean and saw them narrow slightly and an eyebrow arch.

"You didn't like it?" _Hell, yeah, he liked it_, but that really wasn't the point so he grinned without answering.

He was seriously thinking about teasing her more until he saw the tip of her little pink tongue dart out and slowly slide across her top then her bottom lip before disappearing back into her mouth. Suddenly, he wanted to taste those lips more than he wanted his next breath and judging from the look in her eyes, she knew exactly what she was doing to him. _It didn't matter_, he decided, _playtime was over_. It was time to get serious. He bent with a rough groan and captured her lips, nudging them apart and aggressively thrusting his tongue into her mouth. It was a kiss of absolute intent, demonstrating with his mouth what he would soon be doing to her body. She was actively participating in the kiss and pulling at her hands indicating that she wanted to be released. Since he had other things to do with his own hands, he obliged her request. Her hands shot to his head tunneling into his hair and pulling him even closer. His hands were roaming her body at will, drawing gasps and moans of pleasure from her lips. Her hands moved to his back, stroking up and down with her nails, sending shudders down his spine and straight to his groin. Exchanging deep open mouthed kisses, Booth reached down and pulled her right leg up to rest on his hip.

He was pulled from this erotic dream by the sound of laughter from somewhere in the apartment. It took him a moment to realize that it had been a dream considering that he was lying on the satin sheets of Brennan's bed surrounded by her scent. After quickly ascertaining that Brennan was not in the bed or room, he closed his eyes and just savored being in Bones' bed. It was probably a good thing that she was already up he told himself. Not that he wouldn't have loved to wake up with her in his arms again this morning, but after that dream, he wasn't sure he could have stopped himself from just reaching out and dragging her underneath him and picking up where the dream left off. He could just imagine her reaction to that. His musings were cut short by a soft tap on the bedroom and a voice calling out softly.

"Booth, are you up?" He had to laugh at the question.

"Yeah, Bones, I'm up," he called back. She opened the door and stepped into the room when he answered her. He barely managed to sit up in time to preserve his dignity. When she saw that he was still in bed, she frowned.

"You're not up." She contradicted his earlier statement. Oh, he was up alright, he was so up that it might not be safe for her to come any closer to the bed because right now he was seriously considering pulling her down and showing her just how up he was. Taking a deep breath and trying to control his baser urges, he smiled at her.

"Did you need something, Bones?" He had to clear his throat and repeat the question when he noticed that her eyes had dropped to his bare chest. And stayed there. He had to get her out of this room. Fast.

"Oh, yes, I did want something." She was still looking at his chest and the words sent a shiver down his spine. _No, no, no, no, no, no_. He kept repeating the words silently to himself as images from his dream danced through his head.

"What do you want, Bones?" His voice was low and husky, but, dammit, a man only had so much control and seeing her standing there staring at his chest and biting her lower lip was really pushing it. Especially considering that he was already in her bed_, aching_, from dreaming about her.

His tone brought her eyes up to his. She blinked a couple of times and then noted that he was looking at her with very, very warm brown eyes. In fact, he was looking at _all _of her with those warm brown eyes. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips in a nervous gesture and Booth closed his eyes, barely suppressing a groan. _Please, God, get her out of this room in the next 30 seconds or I can't be responsible for my actions._

"Do you want to shower or eat first?" She finally remembered her reason for coming to the bedroom.

"Shower." _Definitely._ He didn't open his eyes when he answered her. It was safer for both of them if he kept his eyes closed. Or so he thought.

"Booth," her voice came from directly beside him and he almost whimpered, "are you okay?" He was trying to come up with an appropriate answer to her question when she reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder. His eyes popped open and his hands were reaching for her before he could stop himself. Her eyes widened when she saw his expression but she didn't move away. At that instant, Hodgins stuck his head in the door.

"Dr. B, I thought you were going to get him up," Hodgins said innocently, pointing to Booth.

"I'm up, Hodgins." _Trust me, I'm up. _ He never broke eye contact with Brennan while responding to Hodgins.

"Well, then, chop, chop, breakfast will be ready in fifteen minutes." Hodgins slapped his palm against the doorframe and went back to the kitchen.

Brennan looked at Booth a little nervously and removed her hand from his shoulder. "I'd better go help with breakfast," she said, motioning vaguely toward the door. He tried, but he just didn't have a smile in him at the moment. His jaw was clenched tightly to hold in a howl of frustration. She smiled at him and turned toward the door. He reached out and caught her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Her smile widened and she squeezed back. Reluctantly breaking contact with him, she headed toward the kitchen, closing the door behind her. Booth scrubbed his hands over his face and headed for the shower.

Feeling much better after his shower, Booth entered the kitchen twenty minutes later to find the table already set and the other three just carrying in the food. Booth went to the fridge and got out the milk and orange juice. The coffee was already on the table, he noted. Just as everyone sat down, Hodgins asked for some honey and Brennan got up to retrieve it. Coming back, she brushed against Booth's suit jacket from yesterday which had been discarded and laid across a stool at the counter. The jacket fell to the floor. Handing Hodgins the honey, Brennan picked up Booth's jacket to hang it up more securely and froze. The three at the table gradually became aware of Brennan's stillness.

"Bren?" questioned Angela. Both men turned to look at Brennan in concern. Before Booth could ask what was wrong, Brennan turned with a question of her own.

"Booth, what is this?" The other three could only stare at the DVD case in her hands.


	18. Chapter 18

**Thanks for reading. Please review.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Three faces were turned toward Brennan displaying varying degrees of shock but she was focused solely on Booth. He appeared to be having trouble speaking, opening and closing his mouth several times without uttering a word, his eyes looking at her pleadingly. She didn't need to ask what it was again, she knew from their reactions. She had known what it was when she saw it on the floor. She turned away, rubbing her fingers across her forehead, taking slow, deep breaths. She needed to calm down before she asked her next question.

Hodgins put a stop to her calming process. He leaned toward Booth and whispered, "Your coat pocket, dude? _Seriously?_"

Brennan spun around and pinned Hodgins with a look that reminded him why all her grad students were afraid of her. He decided it would be in his best interest to just sit back and shut up. So he did.

"Did you watch it?" Brennan demanded, once again focusing her attention on Booth. He met her eyes steadily. He didn't want to admit it but he wouldn't lie to her.

"Yes." He waited for the explosion.

"Did you know what was on it?" Her voice was steady but Booth could tell that she was pretty upset. He really, really didn't want to tell her this next part because he was afraid that it would make her madder than him watching that damn video. Still, he wouldn't lie to her.

"I had a good idea." His voice was calm, his gaze steady. Angela's eyes had been bouncing between them following their conversation.

"Wait. Booth, how could you know what was on that tape?" she demanded.

"He knew about the pole dancing class, Ange." Brennan answered before Booth could.

"You told him about that?" Angela questioned incredulously.

"No." Brennan crossed her arms. Her eyes hadn't left Booth since she threw the glare Hodgins' way. Booth's head dropped and he wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Then how did he know?" Angela was getting more confused. Brennan waited for Booth to answer and when he didn't, she cleared things up for Angela.

"He followed us to the club every night except the first one, Ange." Booth's head jerked up, his startled gaze meeting hers. Angela was outraged.

"What? You _followed _us?" she shrieked, looking at Booth. Turning to Brennan, she continued, "And _you_ knew about it and didn't say anything?"

"Yes." Brennan's answer was closely followed by Booths.

"Angela, it wasn't a safe neighborhood." He answered Angela but his eyes remained locked with Brennan's.

"How did you know we were going to an unsafe neighborhood the first night you followed us?" Brennan's tone was slightly mocking.

_Well, she had him there_. He had followed them the first night because for the second time in four days, Brennan had been unavailable to have dinner with him. She simply said she already had plans and he had assumed she had a date. Since she was so good at picking losers, he had wanted to get a look at the guy, check him out and make sure Brennan was safe. At least that's what he told his conscience when it had rebelled at invading her privacy by following her.

"I didn't," he admitted.

"Then why did you follow us?" Angela was far more upset about him following them that Brennan and Booth was finding that confusing, but he guessed if she'd had a problem with it, she would have put a stop to it when she spotted him. He was actually relieved that she already knew. He really, really didn't want to answer this question. Booth leaned back in his chair, scrubbing his hands over his face, searching for an answer to give Angela that was the truth without being too incriminating. He needn't have bothered.

"He probably thought I had a date." Brennan again answered for Booth, amusement creeping into her voice. Booth's head jerked up. He had no idea she was that aware of his thought processes or that she was so able to accurately predict his behavior. Angela's eyes met Brennan's and both women rolled their eyes. Angela turned to Booth smiling broadly, eyebrows raised almost to her hairline.

"So, Booth, stalk Bren much?" she inquired. Booth and Brennan answered simultaneously.

"Yes."

"NO!" Brennan looked at Booth in disbelief.

"Yes, you do, Booth," she insisted.

"Bones, I do not _stalk_ you." Booth insisted forcefully. By now, he had left his chair and was standing toe to toe with her, hands planted firmly on his hips.

"Then what would you call it?" she demanded.

"What would I call _what,_ Bones?" He threw his arms up in the air, a sure sign that he was getting agitated.

"Booth you insist on knowing where I am at all times and if you don't know where I am you hunt me down. What would you call _that_?" She was getting a little agitated herself and stepped forward, planting her fists on her hips. They were now standing nose to nose. Booth didn't miss a beat.

"Looking out for my partner," he answered instantly. Although he answered her honestly, he squirmed a little inside. He had to admit (but only to himself) that it made him…uneasy if he didn't know where Brennan was. _But only because_ _she was so good at getting herself into dangerous situations_, he justified to himself. If either had bothered to glance toward the table, they would have seen that Angela and Hodgins were watching their little exchange with rapt attention, happily eating their breakfast.

"I don't need you to be my watch dog, Booth. I can take care of myself, even on dates," she said snidely, poking him in the chest. Booth's eyes narrowed dangerously at the poke and he leaned in so closely that their foreheads were touching.

"Its guard dog, Bones, not watch dog," he corrected automatically. Even though he honestly tried to hold it back, the next comment slipped out anyway. "Yeah, Bones, you always pick such great guys to date that I'm sure nothing could go wrong." His voice was heavy with sarcasm.

Hodgins met Angela's eyes, both grimacing. _Ouch._ Although the comment was true enough, it just wasn't…Booth, very personal and kind of mean. Hodgins thought he understood where Booth was coming from. The men had sat and listened to Brennan's tale of their tragic pasts without an outlet for their building emotions. The women had had the outlet of tears, each other and just talking things out. Hodgins had even been able to release some of his rage and grief when Angela told him about Paul and her mother. From Booth's actions, Hodgins was betting that he and Brennan had not talked. Besides, Booth had been jealous of any man that even looked at Brennan for years and Hodgins wasn't stupid. He knew that he had interrupted something hot and steamy in that bedroom and could have kicked himself for it. He tried to intervene before this got out of hand.

"Maybe you guys should just take a step back and calm down," Hodgins suggested. They didn't even hear him.

Brennan's head snapped back at Booths boyfriend comment. She could not believe he had just said that, although he had voiced similar thoughts in the past, this just did not seem like the time. Her eyes narrowed and she leaned back in.

"And what gives you the right to have an opinion about who I date, Booth?" she yelled in his face. Then she poked him in the chest. Twice. Hard.

Booth knew that the boyfriend remark had been out of line and was a little ashamed of himself. He had actually been going to apologize. Until she poked him. Those pokes lit the fuse on the seething cauldron of emotions that had been brewing and building inside him for the last two days. Top those emotions with the whopping dose of sexual frustration that he felt after waking up in her bed two days in a row and not being able to do anything about it and it wasn't really surprising that he blew. He poked her back.

Angela and Hodgins could only watch the unfolding drama wide eyed.

Brennan gasped, stumbled backward two steps and bumped into the counter. Oh, not from the poke, he had barely touched her. It was sheer surprise from his actions. She had poked him numerous times in the past and he had never retaliated. She looked up into his eyes as he stepped toward her and caught her breath. His eyes were almost black and he was looking at her in a way that made a shiver run down her spine. Like Hodgins, she wasn't stupid. She knew that something had been about to happen in her bedroom. She had been more than a little turned on and keenly disappointed by the interruption. Even given that, she found herself swallowing hard at the look on his face. It was aggressive and predatory as he stepped into her personal space.

Booth didn't even consider stopping himself. _What gives me the right to not_ _want to see her with other men?_ Because I'm jealous, okay? I've been jealous for years. _Why?_ Because SHE'S MINE roared his inner caveman. He stepped into her body, pressing her tightly into the counter. His hands came to either side of her face, tipping it further upward.

"_This,_ Bones. This is what gives me the right to care about who you date," he said softly as his lips descended.

Brennan didn't even think about trying to evade the kiss. In truth, she had wanted him to kiss her for a while and wondered what it would be like even longer. From his aggressive behavior, she expected his lips to crash into hers. They didn't. He leaned in and gently rubbed his lips back and forth over hers, slowly increasing the pressure until she moaned and pushed up against him. That soft little moan released Booth's inner cave man. His hands tunneled into Brennan's hair, tilting her head to the side as his lips firmly pushed hers apart and his tongue invaded her mouth. He stepped into her, one thigh slipping between hers and pressed her into the counter almost painfully. She didn't seem to mind. She was too busy kissing him back to notice the discomfort.

Angela and Hodgins quietly left the room. Actually, Hodgins pulled Angela from the room with a hand clamped firmly over her mouth to muffle the squeals. No way was he going to be responsible for interrupting them again.


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks for your support.**

**Disclaimer: Bones does not belong to me, but Cavie is all mine. **

Twenty minutes later, Angela and Hodgins were still sitting on the couch in Brennan's living room waiting for Booth and Brennan to emerge from the kitchen. Hodgins was relaxed but Angela kept casting frequent glances toward the kitchen, biting her lip. Hodgins had twice suggested that they should go but Angela insisted that she couldn't leave until she talked to Brennan. She was half way off the couch when, for the fourth time, Hodgins caught her arm and pulled her back down.

"No, Ange," he said simply, giving her a chastising look.

"But, Hodgie, what if they're fighting again?" she demanded. Hodgins snorted.

"Ange, you've heard those two fight. We haven't heard a sound, well, not words anyway come out of there," he pointed toward the kitchen, "in twenty minutes. You know they're not fighting." He was a little exasperated with Angela's attempts to intrude in whatever was happening between Booth and Brennan in the kitchen and it was beginning to show.

"Well, you don't have to get snippy about it," she snapped. Surprised at the curtness of her tone, Hodgins looked at her closely. She was genuinely worried about something he realized in surprise. Taking her hand and intertwining their fingers, he was determined to get to the bottom of this.

"Angela, what is this all about?" She wouldn't look at him and she didn't answer the question. He reached out and gently forced her chin up. Tears were shimmering in her eyes. "Hey," he pulled her against him and hugged her tightly, "please tell me what's going on, Ange." He was practically begging.

"What if he breaks her heart?" The question was whispered so softly that Hodgins had to strain to hear it. Then he was so flabbergasted that he couldn't answer for a very long moment.

"Ange, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to explain what is going on in that brain of yours, because I am totally lost here. Are these not the same two people that you've been trying to get together for the last three years?" Although Hodgins was absolutely incredulous over Angela's attitude change, he tried to keep his tone calm and reasonable. He wasn't entirely successful. She pulled out of his arms and gave him a glare.

"Yes, okay, I may have encouraged them to have sex in the past, but.."

"_May have?"_ There was no way his tone could be less than incredulous as he confronted her about what he considered a gross understatement. "Ange, you practically stripped them both naked and locked them in a bedroom." Hodgins had left the couch and was pacing back and forth across the living room, running his hand through his hair in his agitation. Yes, he knew that the statement he'd just made was a bit of an exaggeration, that Angela had really only used conversation and innuendo in her attempts to get Brennan and Booth together, but what the hell was going on with the new attitude? Reigning himself in, he walked over to the couch and squatted in front of Angela who now had her arms and legs crossed, still glaring at him. Putting his hand on her knee, he asked quietly, "Ange, do you honestly think that Booth would ever hurt Dr. B?"

"Maybe not on purpose, but pain is pain whether it is intentionally inflicted or not," she said stubbornly. Hodgins was at a complete loss and she was obviously not going to give him any further unsolicited clues. Luckily, his scientist's brain kicked in and told him to start asking questions.

"Are you afraid that Booth will physically hurt Dr. B? She looked at him like he was King of the idiots. _Oookay. Obviously not. Move on._ Hodgins levered himself onto the couch where he could be more comfortable. He had a feeling that this may take awhile.

"So, you think that he will hurt her emotionally?" He knew he was getting closer because the look she threw him this time said that he wasn't _quite_ as stupid as she had previously thought. Try as he might, his mind just did not make the same connection from Booth and Brennan devouring each other in the kitchen to heartbreak as Angela's apparently did. Booth adored Brennan and Hodgins couldn't imagine any set of circumstances that he wouldn't be there for her, as a friend, a lover or whatever else she needed him to be. A thought suddenly occurred to him and he didn't really want to ask but it would certainly explain Angela's actions.

"Ange, were you and Dr. B ever," Hodgins was blushing, "you know?" Angela raised a brow to indicate that she did _not _know. "Together, Angela. Were you and Dr. B ever together?" Obviously not, because now he was back to being King of the idiots. _Thank God_. Not that Hodgins had anything against alternate lifestyles. He just knew that with as much time as they all spent together, both inside and outside of work, he would be beyond uncomfortable knowing that Brennan and Angela had a past sexual relationship. Despite his relief at her non answer, he was starting to get a tad aggravated. Now he was back to square one. _Great_. With a heavy sigh, he sat back and began to sift through the information he already had. Three minutes later, he sat forward with another question.

"Ange, is this about them possibly having sex?" No verbal answer, but he had her full attention. His brain was racing and suddenly he thought he had it. "Ange, why was it okay for them to have sex a year ago and not now?" She gave him a _Hallelujah finally_ look and deigned to answer this one.

"Because Bren wasn't in love with him a year ago," she said as if that made perfect sense. And, in a way, it kind of did. Angela was afraid that if Booth and Brennan's relationship didn't work out that Brennan would get hurt.

Thinking to reassure her, Hodgins said, "Ange, everybody that goes into a relationship takes a chance on getting hurt. You know that. You just have to trust that they care enough about each other to make it work." She didn't look reassured.

"Jack, if they'd had sex even a year ago and things didn't work out, even if Bren had lost Booth as a partner she would have been hurt but she would have moved past it. If she totally commits to him now and things don't work out, it will break her. I've seen her lose something that she loves and I don't think that she could survive that again. I don't think _I _could survive that again." Her voice was filled with sincerity and concern for her friend but Hodgins sensed that this was not the whole reason for Angela's concern.

"Ange, you seemed happy for them in the kitchen. What happened to change your mind?" She gave a careless shrug but she was avoiding his eyes.

"I just thought of it." Uh uh. Hodgins wasn't buying it.

"Angela Montenegro, look at me." Her gaze snapped up at his use of her full name and firm tone of voice. Reaching over, he cupped her cheek in his palm. "Ange, please, please talk to me," he pleaded. She leaned into his hand and a single tear ran down her cheek.

"It would be my fault." She whispered, "Again." Hodgins was still lost. He said the only thing that came to mind.

"I don't know what that means." It must have been the right thing to say. Angela started giggling and threw herself against Hodgins, wrapping her arms around him and hugging tightly. With a sigh, she organized her thoughts.

"Jack, no matter what Bren says, it _is _my fault that she can't dance anymore. If I hadn't asked her to come to New York, that man wouldn't have hurt her and she'd still be dancing. I can't be responsible for her being hurt like that again." Seeing that Hodgins still looked confused, she continued her explanation. "It will be my fault if she and Booth hook up and he breaks her heart." Hodgins started laughing. Angela was more than a little insulted and pushed away from him.

"Angela, are you trying to tell me that you think you got Booth and Dr. B together?" He was laughing so hard he could barely speak.

"Yes," Angela replied earnestly.

"Oh, please, Ange, you can't possibly believe that." Still chuckling, he took both hands in hers. "Ange, they got together because they've had the hots for each other for years. Don't you think that just maybe this misplaced guilt you have about Dr. B's dancing is unduly affecting your perception of this situation?"

"_Misplaced_?" she yelled jumping up from the couch. "It's not misplaced guilt, Jack. I _am _guilty. It _is_ my fault." She smacked her own chest for emphasis.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_*Eight minutes previously in the kitchen*_

Booth attempted to pull back from Brennan but her arms were wrapped so tightly around his neck that he could only separate their lips and rest his forehead against hers, both panting heavily. She gave a little whimper and tried to recapture his lips. That sexy sound almost drew him back in to kiss her again. Almost, because his last remaining shred of control was telling him that if he kissed her even one more time right now, he would have her stripped and bent across the counter in about 30 seconds. _And that would be bad why?_ His inner caveman (his name is Cavie) asked. He told Cavie to shut up.

Denied Booth's lips, Brennan had moved her attention to his neck and was nipping her way down, moving toward his chest. Silently asking God to give him strength and reminding Him that he deserved sainthood for what he was about to do, he placed his hands on either side of Brennan's face and gently forced her head away from him, tilting it backward until her face was tipped toward him. He watched as her eyelids fluttered open to expose eyes that were darker than he had ever seen them, a dark ocean blue, cloudy with desire. He had to close his eyes for a moment to gather his control when she gave him a sexy smile and rubbed against him. _You can do this_ he told himself. Opening his eyes, he saw that she was simply standing there waiting for him to say something.

And he had no freaking idea what to say. What do you say to your _partner_ that you have just pushed against a counter and practically sucked her face off for who knows how long? _How about want to take this to the bedroom?_ Shut up, Cavie. _How about I've wanted to push you up against something and have my way with you since that day on the gun range?_ Shut up, Cavie! _How about we just tell her about all the fantasies that run through your head every time you see her bent over that table at the lab? _Dammit, Cavie, SHUT THE HELL UP!! His attention was pulled back to Brennan by her tapping on his chest and looking at him quizzically.

"Booth, who is Cavie?"

Wonderful. Not only had he just practically attacked his partner, but now he was talking out loud _to himself_ in front of her. Could this situation get worse? He should have known better than to even think that question. Brennan's eyes darted to the table behind Booth and she frowned.

"Where did Angela and Hodgins go?" Booth's head snapped toward the table so fast that he felt his neck pop. Yes, it appeared that the situation could, and just had gotten worse. _Fantastic_. He had backed Bones into the counter and mauled her in front of Angela and Hodgins. _Fan freaking tastic_. SHUT UP, CAVIE!! (Cavie was laughing hysterically). Booth was starting to panic. Until he felt Brennan's hands on his face, tilting his head down to look at her. When he looked back down into her beautiful blue eyes, he felt calmness descend around him like a cloak and he knew exactly what to do. He cupped her cheeks in his palms, gave her a soft smile and said, "Hi."

"Hi," she returned his smile. "Booth, what just happened here?" Booth couldn't contain the laugh that bubbled up.

"I kissed you, Bones." His thumbs were tenderly stroking her cheeks and she was leaning her entire weight against him.

"I know that, Booth. I meant why?" Her voice said she was confused but her eyes said she knew exactly why he kissed her.

"Because I wanted to." She nodded her understanding but he wasn't finished yet. "And I intend to do it again," he leaned down and gave her a light, tender kiss, his lips barely brushing hers. "Every," her eyes widened slightly as he pressed another, longer kiss to her lips, "chance," kiss, "I get." By now, her arms were back around his neck and his tongue was back in her mouth. They were actually saved by Cavie as he was chanting _Go Booth, Go Booth, Go Booth_, loudly enough to get Booth's attention. He reluctantly pulled back and his breath caught at the sight of her. Her hair was tousled from his fingers, her lips swollen from his kisses and the eyes looking back at him were full of desire.

Brennan also liked what she saw. Booth's usually warm brown eyes were a smoldering, almost black, his lips just as swollen as hers, his hair sticking up in clumps from her fingers. She had to fight with herself not to just grab him and drag him to her bedroom right now, regardless of Angela and Hodgins presence. If she had her way, they would share her bed again tonight and it would not be platonic, like the last two nights and her eyes told him so. Placing one last kiss on her lips, he held out his hand, palm up.

"Let's go find Angela and Hodgins," he invited with a smile. She placed her hand in his and stepped away from the counter. And they both looked down as the DVD hit the floor.

_Crap_. He had completely forgotten all about that damn DVD. He cautiously raised his eyes to Brennan's face to find her staring fixedly at the DVD. He bent down, scooped it up and handed it to her. She took it, stared at it for a few seconds and then raised her eyes to him. She looked more curious that angry.

"Why did you watch it, Booth? Booth ran his hand through his hair and sighed but never dropped his gaze.

"I needed to see it." Simple statement of fact. Brennan's expression didn't change.

"Why?" He had to think about this one for a moment. How much was too much to tell her?

"I needed to know why Hodgins and the junior squints were acting like they were and nobody would tell. You and Angela were fighting about it. I needed to see what was on that video." She nodded, looked at the DVD, then back up at him.

"You said that you had a pretty good idea what was on it," she reminded him. _Damn, she would have to remember that_. He gazed at her steadily.

"Are you trying to ask me something, Bones?" They had drifted closer together and their fronts were touching again with Booth's hands resting on her waist.

"Did you watch it because you wanted to?" He didn't even try to evade the question.

"Yes." Her eyes searched his face. "Are you mad?"

"A little," she admitted. Then she surprised the hell out of him by pushing _him _up against the counter and very closely invading his personal space. She grabbed the front of his t-shirt and jerked his head down. Just before her lips crashed into his, he heard something that warmed his heart. "But not enough to kick you out of bed." They finally pulled apart and went to find Angela and Hodgins.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, Angela." Brennan said firmly. Angela spun around to see Brennan and Booth standing right behind her. She looked at Brennan with a tortured expression.

"Bren, I appreciate you trying to absolve me, but I know that it's my fault." Brennan walked over to Angela, took her hand and led her to the couch, seating them side by side.

"Ange, nothing that happened to either one of us was your fault," she assured her voice forceful, "_Nothing_, Ange. We were fifteen years old. It wasn't our fault." As Brennan said the words, she realized this was the first time she had ever said them aloud and it felt good. Squeezing Angela's hand, she said, "Say it with me, Ange. It wasn't our fault." Brennan had to repeat her request a couple of time but Angela complied. A look of wonder spread across her face and she said them again and again, her expression lightening with each repetition. She suddenly recalled how mean she had been to Hodgins and turned to him with an apology. He just smiled and hugged her.

"Mind if I ask what caused the freak out?" She looked at him with no little embarrassment.

"I don't know. I was just sitting here and the thought popped into my mind and I guess I panicked. I'm really sorry." Angela looked over to see Brennan staring at the DVD in her hands with a thoughtful expression. Brennan stared at the DVD and her mind raced. How much she loved to dance, how much she missed dancing, what she had lost in her lifetime, the good friends and more (Booth) that she had gained, how what she did now made her feel. All these things ran through her mind but the one that kept jumping to the front of her mind was how good it felt to say those words aloud with Angela. Maybe Angela was right. Maybe it was time to put the ghosts to rest. Brennan stood up and walked toward the TV and DVD player. The other three looked at each other questioningly.

"Bones, what are you doing?" Booth asked. She turned to face him and gave him a blindingly brilliant smile.

"Putting my ghosts to rest." With that she turned back to the TV and inserted the DVD and Angela began to truly believe for the first time in 18 years that maybe, just maybe she hadn't ruined her best friend's life.


	20. Chapter 20

Thanks for reading. Please review.

Disclaimer: Bones is not mine, but Cavie still is.

Brennan pick up the DVD player remote off the TV and turned to find three pairs of eyes focused on her and in each she saw caring and support. It almost made her cry. Angela held out her hand indicating that she wanted Brennan to sit with her. Booth didn't try to influence her seating choice at all. Looking between Booth and Angela, she made her choice. She walked to the love seat and pulled Booth to his feet leading him to the oversized sofa. Angela and Hodgins scooted over to make room. It was a tight fit but Brennan needed Booth and Angela and even Hodgins beside her to get through this. She took a couple of deep, steadying breaths and hit play, laying the remote down and gripping Booth's hand in one of hers and Angela's in the other.

Booth could feel Brennan's tension, her body stiff as a board and squeezed her hand in support. He wanted to ask her if she was sure about this but thought that she might change her mind if given the opportunity and he thought she really needed to do this. _Yeah, right, like you don't want to see that video again._ Shut up, Cavie. As the picture came up and the camera panned up Brennan's body, Cavie shut up and began to pay attention. Then he started to comment. _Hey, Booth, you think you could get us some popcorn for this show?_ As Brennan started to unbutton her jacket. _Wait, Booth. Forget the popcorn. Don't want to miss a second of this._ As the second button popped open and cleavage came into view. _Whoa, that is one HOT woman. Hey, Booth, I think you should let me take this one for you. _ As the jacket was discarded. _Booth, you are an idiot. I can't believe you've been around that for three and a half years without dragging her into a bedroom somewhere._ Booth actually agreed with this one. His eyes were glued to the screen, his breath coming fast enough for anyone paying attention to know that he was really, really enjoying the show. Fortunately, everyone's eyes were glued to the screen.

Angela watched as Brennan strutted around that stage and was flooded with so many emotions that she didn't know what to do with them. She squeezed Brennan's hand almost painfully and didn't even try to stem her tears as she saw glimpses of her long lost Tempe. Not that she ever expected or even wanted Tempe back now. She had come to recognize that Brennan was just as special to her as Tempe ever had been. It had been her own guilt that had made her keep trying to get Tempe back so that she could somehow make amends for all that had been lost. She thought that she would always miss Tempe and grieve that such a special person had been lost, but she thought that with time she could actually make peace with her part in what had happened.

Hodgins watched the screen with mixed emotions. He could certainly appreciate the fine body that was being displayed. _Hey, don't judge me. I am a guy, you know._ But, after hearing Brennan's story, his attention focused on the grace and beauty of her movements. He thought about her performing ballet in front of thousands of people and felt sorry for those people that they would never get to see this woman dance. It would definitely be their loss. He looked at the joy in her face and the sparkle in her eyes and saw the young girl that she had been, the one that Angela had loved so much, the one she had been before life had stepped in and taken away her dreams. And he grieved for that girl. Feeling Angela give a shudder, he glanced at her and saw that tears were streaming down her face. He tried to pull his hand away from hers to put his arm around her shoulders but she held on tight. She looked up and gave him a brilliant smile and Hogins knew that Angela was going to be okay. He could only hope that the same could be said for Dr. B.

Brennan watched herself on the screen and tried to judge her performance with clinical detachment. She thought her movements were jerky and graceless; they were certainly not up to par for a ballet dancer. The moment the words ballet dancer ran through her mind, every door that she had ever shut and padlocked on her emotions burst open. They flooded her in an overwhelming wave. They hit her with such force that she couldn't breathe. She actually thought she was going to pass out from lack of oxygen and was able to gulp in air just as her vision began to dim. She fought to take slow, steady breaths. Then she fought not to jump from the couch and run from the room when her attention refocused on the screen. _I can't do this_, her heart screamed_. Yes, you can, _said her brain. _No, it hurts too much_, her heart answered. _Temperence Brennan, you NEED to do this, for you, for Angela and for Tempe,_ her brain calmly told her. She frantically struggled to push her feelings back down into the deep, dark place where she had kept them for so many years, but they simply wouldn't go. She unconsciously clutched Booth's hand to her chest as the tears started to flow.

_Hey, Booth, if she's not going to take off any more clothes on the TV__why don't you get rid of those other two and help her get naked right here and now?_ Booth didn't think that was the worst idea that Cavie had ever had. He couldn't take his eyes off Brennan, who had only removed her jacket and was still very decently covered with a black leather bustier but was by far the sexiest thing that he had ever seen. She grabbed the pole and levered herself off the floor, wrapping both legs around the pole. Using only her legs to hold herself up, she arched her torso backward until the top of her head touched the floor. Booth's eyes almost crossed as a picture of her using him as the pole flashed through his mind (courtesy of Cavie). He watched in fascination as she pulled herself back upright and wrapped her hands around the pole above her head, sinuously sliding down until she was doing the splits at the bottom of the pole. _Oh. My. God. Tell those other people to get the hell out. NOW. _Booth couldn't even chastise Cavey at this point because that is exactly what he wanted to do. Until he felt the first tears fall on their clasped hands.

Booth jerked his eyes away from the image on the television screen and looked at Brennan's face. _Oh, God, I am such a jerk. Sitting here lusting after her when watching this is killing her._ Brennan's face was etched with despair, her eyes cloudy with pain, tears freely falling down her cheeks. Her lips were caught between her teeth and she was biting down hard to prevent any sounds escaping. Booth reached over with his free hand and gently pried her fingers from the hand clutched to her chest. She looked up at him in panic, thinking that he was trying to get away from her. He stroked her hair away from her face and swiped the tears off her cheeks with his thumbs. Then he put both arms around her and pulled her into his lap. Her arms encircled his neck and she buried her face against him.

"Turn it off, Angela," Booth said softly. He pressed his face against the side of Brennan's and whispered soft words that didn't necessarily make any sense into her ear. Angela turned the video off and scooted over to pat Brennan's back and offer her own words of comfort as the sobs broke loose. They were heart wrenching to hear. They echoed in the room and the other three thought that they could actually hear the pain, rage and heart break behind them and they seemed to last forever. In actuality the sobs only lasted about 10 minutes but the tears lasted closer to 30 with Booth's arms wrapped around her so tightly that she could hardly breathe and Angela constantly patting her back and crying right along with her. Brennan was just grateful for their presence and she had to smile when Hodgins squatted in front of the couch and thrust a glass with three fingers of Scotch in it under her nose.

"Drink this, Dr. B. You don't have any Brandy, but this should work."

To everyone's surprise, Brennan grabbed the glass from Hodgins and drained it, gasping and coughing as she did so. The other three stared at her in amazement until she hiccupped. Then all four burst into laughter. And it was a good, healthy, healing laughter shared by people who have formed an enduring emotional bond in a very short time over horrible circumstances. People who have hope for a happy ending.

"Bren, sweetie, are you okay?" Angela asked drying the last of her own tears. Sitting upright in Booth's lap, Brennan managed a smile back.

"I'm fine, Ange." She wiped the tears from her eyes. Booth was still rubbing circles on her back and she found it very soothing. Looking up, she saw that in her haste to turn the video off, Angela had actually paused it instead. Angela's eyes flew to the TV and her face blanched in horror. She reached out and grabbed the remote. Just as she was about to push the off button, Brennan stopped her.

"No, Ange. Don't turn it off." Booth turned her head to face him.

"Bones, you don't have to do this." His palms were cupping her face and his thumbs gently stroking her cheeks.

"Yes, I do, Booth." Looking into brown eyes that showed only caring and support, she felt the need to explain. She took both of his hands in hers. "Booth, I'm afraid that if I don't do this now, that I never will."

"Are you sure?" She nodded. "Okay, then." She tried to scoot out of his lap, but he wouldn't let her. He turned her around so that her back was resting against his chest and propped his feet on the coffee table so she could put her legs on top of his. He intertwined their fingers and put his arms around her waist, effectively wrapping her in both of their arms. Leaning down until he could look into her eyes, he asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?" She nodded.

"Okay, Ange." Booth eyes didn't leave her face as he gave Angela the go ahead.

"Start it at the beginning, Ange." Booth looked at her in surprise at the request. When he saw the determination in her eyes, he gave Angela the okay. Angela restarted the video and Brennan's attention turned to the screen. Booths eyes never once left her face. 


	21. Chapter 21

Brennan leaned back against Booth's chest, her head on his shoulder, his arms and his quiet strength surrounding her. She thought that if she could ever face the most painful thing that had ever happened to her it would be in this position, with this man. Her eyes lifted to the television screen and this time she didn't try to fight the emotions as they rolled over her. She felt safe enough in her haven to "give it her best shot" as Angela would say. She was looking at the TV, but didn't really see the picture there. She was focused inwardly. It was almost as if her life drifted before her eyes, each portion defined by one or more of those emotions.

The happiness and contentment of being a young child secure in the bosom of her family and their love for her followed by the sheer fun of starting to discover things about herself and the world around her. The aggravation of fighting with her brother or parents and the love she felt for and from them even through the fights. The pride her parents had felt and freely expressed in her genius IQ, her affinity for the sciences and her talent at ballet had triggered her own pride in these things. Her joy in discovering that she was good at ballet and her love to dance, her excitement at being invited to study at Juliard and the completeness she felt when she had made the choice to pursue ballet as a career. Her confusion at how the other students at Juliard treated her and Angela. The sense of belonging and being normal for once in her life that her friendship with Angela had brought to her. All these memories brought her a sense of peace. She could look back on them with warm nostalgia. She gently wrapped them up and tucked them into one of her compartments, but didn't even try to shut or lock the door. She had no reason to keep these memories or feelings away. They were some of the best of her life.

The next portion was infinitely scarier and more painful for her to view and feel. In fact, over the last 18 years, she might have pulled out a memory or two from time to time, but she had never, ever let the whole thing play out. It was just too painful. But, now it was time. She remembered with startling clarity the joy, the sheer power and beauty that she saw in ballet as she danced on the Juliard stage for the first time. She remembered the awe and hero worship that she felt for the Maestro and her disbelief of his praise in her inborn talent. He had finally said it enough that she had started to believe him and she believed him when he said that she was going to be remembered as one of the greatest ballerinas in history. She remembered the affection that she had felt for him and Angela that had grown into a love that would connect her to these two people for the rest of their lives. She remembered how Angela had taught her to have fun just for the sake of having fun and her sense of belonging at Juliard. She felt as if she had come home. She smiled softly. These were the good parts of that portion of her life. And then came the seemingly unending pain and horror that her life became after one single event. Her body stiffened and her breathing became heavier, her fingers unconsciously tightening around Booth's as she forced herself to sweep past the mental roadblock that she had erected to protect herself from these memories.

Booth felt Brennan's rising tension and tightened his arms around her, pulling her as close as possible. His hand unconsciously started rubbing small circles on her belly and his chin dropped to her shoulder.

"It's okay, Bones. I'm here. Everything is okay." He whispered soothingly in her ear. She didn't acknowledge his comment in any way except her body relaxing slightly into his. Booth wished that he could be with her wherever she was to take her hand and lead her away from the haunting memories, but he knew that she couldn't walk away from them anymore, that she had to face them. Walk through and confront them and he couldn't help her with that. It was something that she had to do alone, but he could and would be here for her when she came out on the other side. Brennan didn't outwardly acknowledge Booth's gestures but she felt them all the way to her soul. The way he was protecting her and sharing his own strength with her gave her the courage to push on when she faltered.

_Her parents had left her_. Just walked away as if she and Russ were no longer worth the time and trouble they required. No note or phone calls to relieve the fear and worry. They just threw their children away as if they were no longer necessary. She sometimes felt guilty that she usually didn't include Russ in her thoughts of her parents (she usually thought they left me not us) but then she remembered that he had left her too and she didn't feel quite as bad about it then. She had been required to see a child psychologist when first entering foster care to address her "abandonment issues" and had refused to say one single word to her no matter how many sessions they made her attend or how many questions she asked. She had been labeled antisocial and a behavioral problem, but she hadn't actually been trying to be difficult. Her family's defection had caused her to retreat into herself and her feelings were too painful to admit to herself much less discuss with some stranger who made it clear that she didn't really care. The psychologist had given up after three visits, but Brennan would never forget the first question that Dr. Jensen had ever asked her.

"So, Temperence, how does your entire family abandoning you make you feel?" Brennan had just walked into the office and was in the process of seating herself. These were the first words out of Dr. Jensen's mouth. How the hell do _you think it makes me feel_? ran through her mind but she didn't utter a word. It made her feel angry, scared, betrayed and helpless. It made her feel worthless and unloved and even unlovable. After all, if your parents can't even love you, then who can? But she was unable to express these emotions and, after Dr. Jensen's attitude, unwilling to even try so she locked them all away inside and they had festered there ever since.

Looking back on the situation, her rational mind told her that her parents had made a logical and maybe even noble decision to leave her and Russ for their own protection, that her parents felt they had no choice. Her 15 year old broken heart told her that there was always another choice and saying that there wasn't was a person's way of justifying making a bad decision. She had reconnected with Russ and her father and forgiven them enough to let them back into her life. She admitted to herself that she loved them both, but not like before. Nothing like that hero worship that a little girl feels for her father and big brother. She also admitted that she would never trust either one fully again and just accepted it as a fact of life. Even though she really, really wanted to she wasn't sure that she would ever be able to fully forgive them for forcing her into foster care.

Foster care was a system on the verge of collapse in Brennan's opinion. Some of the foster parents were doing this because they sincerely wanted to help the disadvantaged and were kind enough to open their homes and hearts to needy children. Most of the others did it strictly for the money and even within that group you found many that did their best to provide for and guide the children placed in their care. The rest, however, were generally a nightmare and were almost exclusively where someone who had been labeled as a behavioral problem was sent. After all, why waste the best homes on someone who won't amount to anything anyway?" (One of her social workers had actually said that to her). So she endured the inadequacies and cruelty of the system because she _knew_ she would be returning to Juliard, to her dream. She stiffened again, her body rigid, her breath leaving her lips in panting little gasps. She didn't think that she could do this. Then she felt Booth's palm gently cup her jaw and turn her face toward his. His eyes were full of concern and his brow furrowed.

"You don't have to do this. You can stop any time."

No, she couldn't, but she loved him for saying that. Placing her hand over his, she leaned into the caress and giving him the best smile she could manage at the moment, she went back to her memories.

Juliard was her haven. It was a place where she was loved, admired and treated with respect. It was the place that gave her the skills and the opportunity to express herself with the art of dance. It was a place where she felt she belonged and, more importantly, she felt wanted. After her family's abandonment and her injuries at the hands of her foster father, she returned there with pure joy in her heart, with the belief that things would be the same as before. But things weren't the same. Not even close. No matter how hard she worked at rehab on her knee, despite the endless hours spent in practice, she could see her future disappearing before her eyes and the pain and rage was unbearable. So, she found another little compartment, pushed them in and firmly attached a padlock to the door. Oh, they pushed at the door, growling and demanding to be released, but as long as she pretended that they didn't even exist and avoided talking about anything to trigger them she was able to keep that door firmly closed. But holding that much emotion hostage is difficult. In the beginning, she had to constantly guard that door and was so inwardly focused that she began to notice fewer and fewer things and people around her.

To her surprise, she found herself liking this state of being more and more. It was actually … almost peaceful. Lock away all those pesky feelings that were hard to deal with, ignore the rest of the world and nobody could get to you. So, she retreated further and further into her little world of peace and solitude and lost herself so completely that she would never be the same person again. And, she didn't even care. Until she got notification that Juliard would be returning her guardianship to the state, nothing penetrated her shell. That news cracked her shell and she panicked, but the Maestro was able to reassure her and, until their last conversation the night she ran from Juliard, she retreated back behind her wall. That night, she had felt such pain, rage and loss that she could barely think. The only coherent thought that she could hold onto was that she couldn't keep hurting the only two people who still loved her. She could see the pain in Angela and the Maestro's eyes every time they looked at what she had become and she left for altruistic reasons. At least, that's what she told herself. She knew the real reason she ran was more selfish and that leaving that way had caused Angela and the Maestro a great deal of pain, but her wall was now thick enough to prevent her worrying about it too much.

She went back to foster care and was placed in some of the roughest homes available. She kept her head down, followed all the rules and spent as much time as possible at school. With her genius IQ and steep learning curve, she was already taking college classes in several subjects and had already applied for financial aid and early acceptance to several colleges. Her A&P teacher, a brilliant young woman, had taken a special interest in Brennan and it was she that had introduced her to the field of anthropology. They'd had many discussions about the subject and Brennan was fascinated with everything about it. She had reasoned that this would be an acceptable field of study and her new future was born.

She had thought that her wall had grown thick enough to protect her from anything, but she found out differently one night shortly after her sixteenth birthday. She had been moved to a new foster home three days before and the foster parents had a 17 year old son who made her nervous. She had gone to bed early with a headache and woke up a couple of hours later with him trying to crawl into bed with her. She was hit with such fear and disgust that she was momentarily paralyzed. But not for long. Just as he reached out to touch her breast, a rage unlike anything she had ever felt swept over her and she attacked him. He was on the floor in a sobbing heap when his parents rushed into the room. Brennan was stunned when the parents believed her about what had happened and made sure that she was okay before hustling their son out of the room.

Brennan was physically okay, but emotionally, she was a mess. The part of her that was still Tempe was whimpering in fear and shame, but the part of her that had just kicked that creeps butt felt strong, empowered and fearless and was telling her that as long as Tempe was around they could still be hurt and that made perfect sense to Brennan so she listened closely to this new parts next suggestion. It was logical and rational and Brennan was sold. So, she gathered the few bits of Tempe that had not already been locked away with a sense of relief and placed them in yet another compartment, gently closing the door on the person that she had been and applied a double lock to this door. When she was finished, she felt nothing. She smiled.

From that moment, she became Temperence Brennan. She worked toward her goals with focus and determination. She had superficial friendships and even more superficial sexual relationships. But she never, ever, ever let her walls down enough to allow anyone to hurt her and when anyone tried to push past her defenses, she pushed them away with a ruthlessness that Attila the Hun would have been proud of. And she had been okay with who she was. Truth be told, she had been proud of who she was and didn't care enough about anybody else's opinion that it mattered what they thought of her. Until now. _Oh, God, what did I let myself become?_ She thought, eyes rounding in horror, just as the video finished.


	22. Chapter 22

Brennan turned horror filled eyes toward Angela. "Ange, why did you even still want to be my friend after what I did to you?" Angela looked back in confusion.

"Bren, what the hell are you talking about?" she demanded.

"I didn't even tell you that I was leaving." Brennan whispered. Ah, now Angela knew what she was talking about. Angela knew she was taking a chance, but she had wondered about this for 18 years and never been able to get any answers out of Brennan so she asked her question.

"Why did you leave, Bren?" Angela held her breath, not really expecting Brennan to answer. Brennan wriggled around until she was sitting sideways in Booth's lap and took both of Angela's hands in hers. She was afraid that her explanation was going to hurt Angela.

"Because I couldn't stay, Ange." Brennan paused to gather her thoughts. "Ange, I never told you this but Juliard had decided to return my guardianship to the state as soon as it was confirmed by the doctors that my injury was permanent." Brennan jumped out of Booth's lap and began to pace rubbing her hand across her forehead. She saw the look of hurt and shock on Angela's face and had to turn away.

"Bren, how could you not tell me something like that? How could you go through something like that alone?" Angela was also on her feet, fists clenched at her sides.

"I wasn't alone, Ange. The Maestro knew. I made him promise not to tell you." Brennan turned to face Angela, lifted her chin and looked her angry friend directly in the eye.

"Why, Bren?" There was a wealth of hurt and confusion in the question. Brennan approached Angela and, once again, took her hands smoothing out the clenched fists. Without taking her eyes off Angela's face, she told her the truth.

"Because I couldn't stand to cause you any more pain, Ange." Angela looked at Brennan as if she was certain that she had misheard the statement but Brennan didn't elaborate.

"I don't know what that means." This statement coming out of Angela's mouth caused a round of laughter from everyone and dissipated some of the tension in the room.

"Ange, you had already been through so much yourself and were feeling so guilty about me not being able to dance that I was afraid that you just wouldn't be able to take anymore. I loved you too much to cause you more pain." Brennan's voice told Angela that this was the absolute truth and she felt her anger disappearing, leaving just the confusion.

"But, you did hurt me, Bren. It hurt when my best friend just skedaddled without any explanation and didn't even try to contact me. It hurt a lot." Angela's voice held remnants of that pain and it broke Brennan's heart.

"I know and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left like that." Apologizing was the only thing she could do to try to make that incident right with her best friend.

"Then why did you?" _Good question, Ange. _Brennan pulled Angela back over to the couch and they reseated themselves.

"Ange, when Juliard made their decision, the Maestro decided that he wanted to adopt me. Because my parents were missing persons, he was told that I would age out of the system before the paperwork went through. So, he applied for guardianship instead." Brennan was back to pacing with the three others watching her intently. "The day that I left, he had gotten notification that he would be approved as my guardian, with provisions."

Booth glanced between the women. Brennan looked as if talking about this was ripping her guts out and Angela looked like she had a good idea why. Hodgins looked confused and Booth sure as hell didn't understand. Brennan had really liked this Maestro guy and according to Angela and their stories he was decent enough so why was this a bad thing?

"Bones, I'm confused. That would be a good thing, right?" She whipped around to look at him.

"No, Booth. That would not be a good thing." She resumed pacing. Booth looked at Angela for answers but none were forthcoming. Brennan soon told them herself. "The Maestro spent at least six months a year out of the country working with some of the most famous ballet troupes in the world. He was one of the most sought after instructors in the world. The provisions to my guardianship were that he give that up. That day he told me that he was going to accept and teach at Juliard full time." Angela was nodding at Brennan. Hodgins and Booth exchanged puzzled glances. Catching this exchange, Brennan threw them both a look that said she was beginning to doubt their intelligence, but she addressed Booth. "I couldn't let him do that, Booth." She sighed in frustration when she saw that he still didn't understand. She sat down beside him and leaned heavily against the back of the couch. Then she reached out and took his hand. "Booth, he loved what he did. It was _his _dream. I had already lost my dream; I couldn't take his away from him." Booth nodded his understanding of her reasoning processes but didn't look like he agreed.

"I'm sorry to be the jerk here, but he was an adult. If he was willing to do that, then I don't understand the problem." Hodgins genuinely didn't get it and apparently questions were allowed. Brennan hadn't really intended to share this last little piece of the puzzle, but she knew that she could trust the people in this room with anything. Heck, she already had, so why not?

"I couldn't be there, Hodgins. It just hurt too much. So, I separated myself from the three things that I loved most in the world." Brennan's head was lowered and the whispered explanation brought tears to the eyes of every person in the room. Angela took her free hand and smiled as Brennan looked up at her.

"I understand." And she did. If something happened and she had lost her artistic abilities, Angela thought she might actually go insane. She damn sure wouldn't be able to sit on the sidelines watching the best of the up and coming get better without getting her heart ripped out every single day. Pulling Brennan into a tight hug, she whispered, "I forgive you."

Booth looked at the two women in front of him. With their pasts, it was astonishing that they hadn't been broken beyond repair. But, here they stood; strong, compassionate, caring, shining lights of purity and all that was good in the world. He was almost awed to be in their presence. Looking at Hodgins, he saw him wearing a similar expression and knew that he was thinking the same thing. They would be morons to let these women go.

"I'm sorry I was such a bad friend, Ange." Angela jerked back from the hug, grabbed Brennan by the shoulders and shook her, hard. There was real anger in her voice and on her face. And she was angry. She hated it when Brennan couldn't see her own value and decided, then and there, that the three other people in this room would convince her of her own worth if it took them the rest of their lives. She would start them off.

"Temperence Brennan, I don't ever want to hear you say that again. You're not a bad anything. You're the best friend I've ever had. I couldn't love you more if you were my sister." Calming somewhat, she continued, "Bren, you are a good person. You're kind, you're generous with your time and money. You have an important job." Angela was warming to her subject. "You put murderers in prison for God's sake. You're practically a fricking super hero." Angela actually had more to say, but turned to glare at Hodgins when he snickered at her last remark. She saw that Booth was hiding his face behind his hands, his body shaking. It wasn't hard to figure out that he was laughing. Angela felt her own lips twitch, but was able to control herself until she turned back to Brennan. She opened her mouth to continue when Brennan looked at her from under her lashes looking like a scolded child trying to judge how much trouble they were in and whispered, "I'm sorry, Mommy." Hodgins and Booth rolled around on the couch, howling with laughter. Brennan giggled and that broke Angela. They stood in the middle of the floor laughing so hard they leaned on each other for support. Just like they always had.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thirty minutes later, they were back at the kitchen table. Since nobody had really gotten breakfast, they were all starving and were quickly rewarming everything in the microwave. Brennan and Angela were manning the microwave and Booth was making fresh coffee. Hodgins was ferrying items to and from the table. Booth turned quickly when he heard Angela squeal and saw the women embracing tightly. They were both grinning broadly when they separated. Then Booth thought that he was going to have to shoot Hodgins when Brennan walked over and hugged him tightly. _What the hell, Dude. You need to tell that guy that she's ours. Sometime today, Booth. _ Lovely, Cavey was back. Booth understood when Brennan pulled back.

"Congratulations, Jack."

"Thanks, Dr. B." Hodgins was grinning like an idiot. He couldn't help it. He was that happy about being engaged again.

"Jack, I think that after this weekend you can call me Brennan." He was unbelievably touched. He took one of her hands, and bowing from the waist raised it to his lips, placing a feather light kiss on the back.

"Thank you, Brennan. I would be honored," he said gallantly. Brennan smiled warmly at Hodgins.

_What the hell are you doing just standing here? Are you going to do something about that guy or not?_ Shut up, Cavie. Booth knew that Hodgins was just kidding and that Brennan would take the gesture in stride. He was making too much of this but he couldn't make his fists relax or his jaw unclench. He looked up at the sound of Brennan's voice to find Angela and Hodgins looking at him in amusement and Brennan looking at him in confusion.

"What, Bones?"

"Booth, did you just growl?" _Dammit, Cavie, would you just please, please, go away?_

"Of course not, Bones. Why would I growl?" _Maybe because you're crazy jealous of her and that guy just had his hands all over her._ Hodgins hands had not been all over her! _Hey, don't yell at me! I'm just trying to help you out because, seriously, I'm not sure that you can close the deal without me._

"I don't know, Booth. That's why I asked, but I distinctly heard you growl." Booth threw Angela a please help me look. Despite her amusement at the situation, she complied and drew Brennan's attention. Hodgins walked over to Booth still smiling broadly.

"Dude, you were _so_ growling." Booth flushed, grinned and held out his hand to shake.

"Congratulations, Hodgins."

"Thanks, man." As Angela came by Booth grabbed her in a tight hug. He looked up to see Hodgins' eyes narrowed and raised an eyebrow, then both men burst out laughing.

Breakfast was a lively affair, everyone having plenty to talk about. Booth finally noticed that Hodgins had stopped eating, crossed his arms and was glancing between Brennan and Angela. He looked like he was trying to solve a mystery. Following Booth's gaze, Brennan saw Hodgins and indicated that Angela should look at him with a head tilt. Angela turned to him with a smile.

"Something wrong, Hodgie?"

"Not wrong really. Something's just been bugging me for two days."

"And what's that?"

"Why won't you two tell us about getting drunk in college? Did something awful happen?" Brennan's face went fire engine red and Angela choked on her orange juice. Booth had been curious before, but now he was fascinated. His eyes were locked on Brennan's face. He saw her gaze drop and then lift to meet Angela's. They apparently had and unspoken language, too. Angela's eyebrow lifted. Brennan's shoulders barely moved in a shrug. Angela's brow lifted higher. Brennan held up her hand with her forefinger and thumb almost touching. Angela turned back to Hodgins.

"No, Jack, nothing awful happened in college. Unless you count mid terms and finals." Brennan snorted at the last. Hodgins and Booth looked even more curious. Brennan and Angela had another silent conversation.

"What is it that you want to know, Jack?"

"What happened?" Booth and Hodgins burst out with the question at the same time. Both leaning forward with their arms propped on the table. Another silent conversation. Slight head nod from Brennan. Angela turned back to the men.

"Tempe showed up a few times when we were in college." She stopped, as if they should fully understand. They didn't have a clue.

"Ange, come on, you gotta give us more than that." Hodgins was whining and Booth was nodding his agreement. At Brennan's slight nod, Angela continued.

"Tempe has a problem with alcohol." Both men looked at Brennan in shock. She blinked back at them and Angela started laughing. "Not like that. She's not a drunk. It's sort of like an allergy." Angela turned to Brennan to take over the explanation.

"When I drink certain kinds of alcohol it's like it unplugs the logic circuits in my brain." Hodgins was nodding but Booth looked confused. "It's like just doing whatever you want to at the time without any inhibitions holding you back, without your brain telling you to stop." Booths eyes were huge and it didn't take a genius to figure out where his mind had gone. _Hey, Booth, I know she has liquor around here. Why don't you clear this place and offer her a drink._ Hodgins was grinning at her.

"How uninhibited?" Hodgins asked. Booth pulled his mind back from the gutter to hear the answer. Brennan narrowed her eyes at Hodgins, leaned forward and motioned for him to do the same. His eyes widened but he complied.

"Very, as in no inhibitions whatsoever," she whispered loudly. Booth and Hodgins both swallowed hard. Angela was bent over in her chair laughing. Hodgins turned to her.

"She's kidding, right, Ange?"

"No, Jack, she is absolutely serious. The first time it happened, we were on spring break and let's just say that her picture ended up on a lot of walls that night." Angela was laughing so hard she couldn't continue when she saw that the men had no idea what she meant. They looked at Brennan for the answer. With a very deep blush and a roll of her eyes, she did.

"Wet t-shirt contests," she mumbled. Hodgins and Booth's eyes were huge. _Wait. Did she say contests as in plural_?

"_How many_?" Cavie grunted the question before Booth could stop him. Brennan glared at him, but Angela answered the question.

"Eight." Hodgins and Booth's eyes were now in danger of popping out of their heads. But Hodgins, being Hodgins, needed clarification.

"She entered eight or she won eight?" Brennan took this one.

"Both. I entered and won eight." She sounded a little insulted that he thought she might have lost one.

_Wow. Booth, that means that she had the best_ ….Cavie trailed off. Apparently struck speechless by recent revelations. Booth had never known of that to happen.

"That's enough embarrassment for me, thank you," said Brennan, "I'm sure that everyone at this table has something that they would be embarrassed to share." Angela and Hodgins nodded. Booth gave her a _not me_ look and her eyes narrowed.

"Booth, who is Cavie?" He choked on his coffee.

"Just a guy I know, Bones." He was avoiding her eyes

"I've never met him." Her narrowed eyes clearly said that she didn't believe him. _He would admit that he talked out loud to himself._

"I never knew you wanted to." _But I would be more than happy to introduce you._

"Yes. I would like to meet him." Angela and Jack had no idea what they were talking about.

"Okay, Bones." _The sooner the better, as far as I'm concerned._

"Soon, Booth." _And when he couldn't produce this person named Cavie, he would have to admit that he talked to himself, she thought with satisfaction._

"Oh, I think that can be arranged, Bones." Booth hid his grin behind his coffee cup, Cavie chanting _Go Booth, Go Booth, Go Booth_ and he didn't even tell him to shut up.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 25

Booth and Hodgins stood in the doorway to the kitchen watching Angela and Brennan sitting on the sofa in the living room. The men were propped up on opposite sides of the door facing arms crossed with tender smiles on their faces. The girls were chattering and laughing like teenagers. Booth had never seen Brennan this open, this talkative, this… bubbly. He was thrilled to see her more open to expressing her feelings, but wasn't quite sure how he felt about her acting like Angela. That would take some getting used to, but he was certainly willing to try. Hodgins saw the way Booth was looking at Brennan.

"I could drag her out of here kicking and screaming and give you two a little time alone," he offered. Booth smiled and shook his head.

"Nah, leave them alone. They've been through a lot in the last couple of days. They need this time together. My time with Bones will come." Hodgins looked at Booth in surprise at this open admission that he intended to pursue a romantic relationship with Brennan. Booth was a little surprised himself. He _trusted Hodgins_, he realized. He would be willing to trust this man with a lot of his secrets. Not all, but a lot and that was a big deal to Booth. He looked at Hodgins and saw the same trust and respect reflected back at him. _Well, hell, when had they turned into girls?_ They grinned at each other at the same time.

Brennan and Angela were talking about anything and everything that came to mind. Mostly, they were putting off the moment of separation. Since entering the apartment two days earlier, both women felt that they had recovered parts of themselves and each other that had been lost for so very long. They felt closer than they had in many, many years and both feared that as soon as Angela left they might lose the precious things that they had gained, but they both knew that they couldn't stay wrapped in their safe little cocoon forever. They were just savoring the time they had left in their haven. Angela looked up and saw Booth's eyes on Brennan. She shot him a grin and a wink and turned back to Brennan.

"So, should we get out of here so you can drag Studly off to bed?" Brennan blushed and dropped her head. Angela chortled. Brennan was never embarrassed to talk about her sex life and she was blushing just thinking about sex with Booth. Leaning down so that she could see Brennan's face, Angela questioned, "Bren, you are going to sleep with Booth, aren't you?" Brennan's head lifted.

"That is my intent, yes." Angela could hear a but in Brennan's voice and decided to head off trouble before it started.

"But?" Brennan turned her head to look directly into her eyes.

"I've never slept with someone I care this much about and it scares me a little." Angela gave her hand a reassuring pat.

"Bren, do you trust Booth?"

"Of course, I trust him, Ange. Booth would never hurt me."

"Do you want to sleep with him?"

"Yes, very much so."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Ange, what if I can't do this. What if I drive Booth away. I couldn't stand that."

"You're not going to drive me away, Bones," Booth said softly from behind them. Angela hopped up so that Booth could take her seat beside Brennan. He sat down, put his arm around her and tilted her chin up toward him. He saw the self doubt in her eyes and his heart ached for her. He gave her a grin and leaned his forehead against hers. "If you couldn't run me off when you were actually trying to, why do you think that you will when you want me to stay?" She didn't have to consider the question.

"Booth, I'm really bad at relationships. You know that." His hand cupped her jaw and tilted her head up.

"You've just never been in a relationship with the right guy." He leaned down and lightly teased her bottom lip away from the top lip, running his tongue over both.

"Are you the right guy, Booth?" Glancing sideways at a slight noise, he saw Hodgins and Angela lift their hands in farewell and exit the apartment.

"Yes, Bones, I am," he said firmly, gazing directly into her eyes, her face cupped between his palms. He saw how much she wanted to believe him.

"How can I know that?"

"Trust me," he breathed against her open mouth. She did trust him. She trusted him with her life every day. She was terrified to care about someone else enough to give them the power to hurt her, but she already did care that much about Booth. He had the power to destroy her, but she trusted him not to use it.

For the first time in her adult life, Temperence Brennan made the conscious choice to stop worrying about what might be and just live for the pleasure of the moment. And there were plenty of pleasures in this moment. The feeling of Booth's lips rubbing against hers, his hand sliding into her hair and tilting her head allowing him to deepen his kisses, his lips nudging hers apart and his tongue sliding into her mouth. The feeling of the groan rumbling deep in his chest vibrating against her sensitive breasts when her tongue tangled with his. The feeling of his hands going to her back and pulling her more firmly against him, dragging a moan from her. The feeling of him starting to undo buttons and zippers and slowly stroking her skin as it was revealed. The feelings of arousal that washed over her in waves more intense than anything that she had ever felt. Brennan shuddered and dived into unknown territory.

Booth was also feeling his way. He had expected things to be good between him and Brennan especially after the kitchen, but he was unprepared for the intensity of his body's reactions to the sexy little sounds she was making, her hands brushing softly over his bare skin where she had pushed his t-shirt out of the way, the way she rubbed her body against him causing him to shiver. His body was already screaming for release and they had barely gotten started. He reached out and cupped her face in his palms, gently separating their lips and sitting back, taking deep gulping breaths. He was about to tell her that they needed to slow things down a little when she scooted closer and straddled his lap, pressing herself firmly against his already aching erection. Cavie roared to life.

Both of Booth's hands buried themselves in her hair, pulling her head down and biting at her lips. Her lips parted on a gasp and his tongue slipped inside. Brennan took charge of the kiss, running her hands into Booth's hair and pushing her tongue into his mouth. Booth's hands slipped to the buttons of her shirt. _That'll take too long, Booth. Just rip the damn thing_. Not a bad idea. Thanks, Cavie. Brennan felt a shiver of excitement run through her as Booth gripped the sides of her shirt and sent buttons that weren't already undone flying, hands immediately going to the front clasp of her bra and flicking it open. He slowly peeled the cups away from her breasts, making sure that his fingers frequently brushed her pebble hard nipples. _Way to go, Booth_. He pushed both garments off her shoulders and quickly jerked his own t-shirt over his head carelessly tossing it aside and pulling her against him, bare chest to bare chest. They both groaned at the friction as she undulated her torso, dragging those hard nipples back and forth across his smooth chest.

She threw back her head and bucked her hips, moving her hot, moist center firmly up and down the length of his erection. He held her down firmly by sliding his hands under her slacks and panties and gripping her ass and thrust up against her, breathless, gasping moans escaping at the exquisite sensation. His lips traveled to her neck and moved down, lips and tongue worshiping her soft skin and womanly curves. He licked his way from her collar bone, over the upper curve of her breast and to her hard pink nipple, laving it with his tongue, and then tugging gently with his teeth only to soothe again with flicks of his tongue. He moved to the other breast giving it the same treatment. Her hands were running up and down his back alternating feather light touches of her fingertips with the light scoring of her nails. Every time she touched him or moved against him, it drove him a little higher, the desire bit in to him a little deeper until he felt like he was going to burst into flames at any second.

Brennan also felt the bite of desire. She had never, ever wanted anything as badly as she wanted to join her body with Booth's and find out what making love was all about. She was hot and wet, even her skin throbbing with each inner pulsation. Every time he touched her with his hands or lips, it drove her higher and she couldn't wait to reach the destination. She reached down and undid his belt buckle. Pulling back, she smiled into eyes dark with passion. She reached down and unbuttoned his jeans, carefully easing the zipper over his straining hard on. He moaned and bucked against her hand. She pushed herself up on her knees and her hands went to the waistband of his jeans. Looking into her passion cloudy blue eyes, he debated on the advisability of getting out of his pants right now, but in the end, he wanted to so he lifted his hips. She slid his pants and underwear down, slithering to the floor and pulling them completely off. She knelt between his spread knees and gave him a wicked smile.

She leaned down and laid a kiss on his right knee, her tongue darting out and licking its way up his inner thigh, her hair falling to brush against his leg. She licked very, very close to his pulsing erection but never directly touched it, just allowing that soft silky hair to brush over it as her head moved. God, how many times had he awoken, hard and hurting from a dream of her kneeling between his legs, that hair spread across his thighs as she took him into her mouth? Too many times to count. His eyes drifted closed as her nimble tongue traveled up to his navel pausing to dip and swirl before moving on. Her tongue traced each well defined muscle and with each lick, he got a little harder. He buried one hand in her hair used the other to reach out and lightly pinch and roll first one nipple then the other. She arched against him, his cock inadvertently coming to rest between and being enveloped by her breasts. His breath hissed between his teeth and his hips bucked almost dislodging her.

"Bones, you're killing me," he groaned. He felt her lips smile against his chest.

"I doubt it, Booth. You're a tough guy, you can take it." He wasn't so sure. He felt like he'd been hard for years and he wanted nothing more than to guide her head down and push his cock into her mouth giving him some relief. No, that wasn't quite true. The only thing that he wanted more right now was to pick her up, strip her pants off, and plant her solidly on his hard on, letting her ride him into oblivion. Her mouth worked its way up his chest to concentrate on his nipples, nipping and licking, drawing breathless moans from him. He grabbed her face in his hands and tilted her head up, his lips crashing down on hers, tugging her upwards as his tongue plunged desperately into her mouth. She resisted his efforts to get her back on his lap.

"Booth, I'm not finished," she complained, trying to slide back down. The wiggling pressed her hot skin directly against his erection and provided such stimulating friction that he had to fight back his orgasm.

"Yes, you are or I will be. Now come here." He lifted her more firmly and she slowly began to rise, deliberately tormenting him. _Two can play at that game_. His hand moved from her breast to glide softly over her abdomen.

"But, Booth, I don't like to leave things unfinished," she whined. His hand slid down the front of her pants and into her panties to find them soaked with her arousal. His finger glided into her slick folds finding her engorged clit, stroking it firmly. Her hips bucked and she whimpered.

"You can finish later. Come here." He pulled her back up to straddle his lap without removing his hand from her panties. He couldn't resist slipping one and then two fingers inside her tight warmth and setting a lazy rhythm as his thumb stroked her clit and his teeth grazed her arched neck. She was on fire and so close to a fantastic orgasm that she could practically taste it. She rode his hand faster, making sure that she firmly grazed his erection with every thrust. Picking up her urgency, he increased the speed of his thrusting fingers and the pressure on her clit. She locked her hands around his neck and arched her torso toward him. Alternating between her breasts, he sucked her nipples deep into his mouth, using his tongue to roll them against the roof of his mouth. With a keening cry, she gave in to the sensations threatening to overwhelm her. She tightened and pulsed around his fingers and he had to, once again, fight down his own orgasm as he imagined what it was going to feel like when she came around him. He already knew that it was going to be a tight fit and might be a rough ride. _Yee Haw. Just the way I like it. _Shut up, Cavie_. _Brennan rode out the orgasm and collapsed, limply against his chest. She hadn't known an orgasm could be that good, she thought to herself and if that was what a riding his finger orgasm felt like then she was more than ready for a ride him orgasm. She smiled softly up at him and dragged his head to give him a sweet, sensual kiss.

"Do you want to take this to the bedroom?"

_What? Bedroom? We don't need no stinking bedroom. Booth, you just pull that hot mama back down here and let's get on with it._ Smiling, Booth stood with Brennan still wrapped around him and started down the hall. Brennan leaned in and laid a trail of kisses from his shoulder to his neck then proceeded to almost make him drop her when she licked her way up his neck and nibbled her way back down, repeating the process until his eyes almost rolled back into his head_. Oh, yeah, Baby, Come to Daddy_. _Booth, use the wall._ Cavie did sometimes give good advice. Claiming her lips with a wet open mouthed kiss, he took Cavie's advice.

Brennan felt her back being pressed against the wall and the front being crushed by a hard, warm Booth and she reveled in the feelings. She was panting for breath and almost out of control and she had just had a fantastic orgasm, but here she was ready and eager for another one. And she knew that Booth was eager for an orgasm. Given their positions, she had felt herself sliding against his erection with every step, felt him harden even more and his breath hiss out with every step. Now, he was pushing his erection against her so hard that he was grinding her into the wall. And she liked it.

"Now, Booth, now." She gasped. He pulled back slightly to look into her eyes.

"Are you sure?" She nodded and loosened her legs from around his waist. Sliding them to the floor, she quickly shimmied out of her pants and panties leaving her as naked as he was. Placing his hands on her waist, he lifted her so she could wrap her legs around his waist again. His jaw and fist clenched in an effort to maintain control when her center grazed him, coating his penis with her juices. He put both hands under her bottom and lifted her higher against him. Leaning his forehead against hers, he smiled softly.

"Are you ready for this?"

"Are you?" _God, yes, he had been ready for this practically from the day they met._ He felt like he'd been hard for it for that at least that long. He was so ready for this that he would count himself lucky if he got all the way inside her before he came. Keeping one hand under her bottom for support, he pressed her more firmly into the wall and reached his other hand down to guide himself to her entrance. Returning his other hand to her bottom, he pushed hips forward while allowing her body to lower at the same time, pushing himself into her inch by slow, tortuous inch. By the time he was fully seated within her, they were both panting. Her because the sensation of her inner walls stretching to accommodate him was so pleasurable, it was almost painful. Him because she fit him like a glove and need was clawing at him almost painfully. Looking into her eyes, he began to move, partially withdrawing and slowly thrusting back inside. She was so tight that her walls drug at his flesh with every thrust and it was unbelievably arousing. He'd never been this hard in his life and he needed release badly, but he wanted her with him when he came.

He claimed her lips in a possessive kiss of need and hunger plunging his tongue in her mouth and increased his pace. She wrapped one arm around his neck and held on. The other hand was busy tracing the muscles of his chest and plucking at his nipples. She was almost mindless with need aware of nothing but this moment with this man. She ached and trobbed and only he could make it stop, only he could give her the release she needed and only she could do the same for him. Whimpering, her hips whipped up and down and she could feel herself just on the edge.

Booth could feel that she was on the edge and so was he. Holding her against the wall with only their torsos pressed together, he slipped his hands to the inside of her thighs and gripped her bottom, spreading her legs even wider. This position allowed him complete control of the depth and power of his thrusts and he took full advantage, planting himself so deeply inside her that their pubic bones ground together, drawing a raspy growl from him and high pitched, keening wail from her. He repeated the move several times until Brennan's body was arched like a bow and her walls were tightening around him. He was determined to keep himself under control and not just pound her into the wall until he came which is what Cavie was demanding. And he held onto that control. Until she jerked against him, pulling him in ever deeper and sucked his tongue into her mouth at the same time. Cavie took over and Booth couln't stop him (Booth didn't really want to stop him). His hips took on a pistoning motion and he did pound her into the wall. She held on for the ride and loved every minute of it. He shifted and changed his angle of penetration, throwing her over the edge of a seemingly endless abyss filled with the greatest pleasure she had ever known. Booth felt as if every nerve in his body was connected to his penis. Every thrust caused waves of pleasure to spread from his groin to every part of his body. Her inner walls tightening and pulsing with her orgasm only increased the pleasure. He was lost to everything but the need to find relief and with only a few more thrusts, he joined Brennan in the abyss. They both slowly returned to earth. Looking deeply into each others eyes, they shared an intimated smile and an even more intimate kiss.

Without separating them, Booth pushed away from the wall and carried her into the bedroom, sitting down on the end of the bed and flopping backward with her on top of him. Still connected, he scooted them up on the bed and rolled them onto their sides, pulling her close and wrapping his arms around her. He tipped her chin up for a long, slow kiss then pressed her head onto his shoulder.

"Thank you, Booth." He looked at her in confusion.

"What for?" She grinned up at him mischievously.

"For introducing me to Cavie."

"My pleasure, Bones. Believe me, it was my pleasure."


	24. Chapter 24

Over the next two weeks, Booth and Brennan grew physically closer, but the changes that their new intimacy brought to the rest of their relationship were so subtle that no one guessed about them being a couple now, at least no one asked about it. That made them both stop and take a long hard look at how their partnership had evolved over the years and both were finally able to see that what everyone had been saying about them for the last year or so was true. They were already a couple, deeply committed to each other, deeply caring for each other. They just weren't having sex. Then. Now they had sex every chance they got. No, they didn't have sex, they made love. Even though they hadn't officially said the words to each other, they knew that they loved each other and they both wanted this to be the relationship that lasted the rest of their lives. And they were both willing to work for it.

Booth couldn't be happier. He was able to touch Brennan whenever he wanted without having to make excuses. He didn't mean sexually, although he did plenty of that, he meant the everyday touching, brushing the hair away from her face, a casual hug for no reason, sitting closely enough that your bodies brush, all the touches that he had denied himself for so long, he treasured each and every one. Even though he felt like he was declaring their new relationship with each soft touch, he soon noticed that no one else paid them any attention so he had grown bolder. So bold, in fact, that Brennan had handed him a hands off list for the workplace and Angela had laughingly told them that she thought the only thing that anyone would even notice was them actually having sex on the platform. Angela had gone into hysterics at Booth's speculative expression and Brennan's horrified response to her suggestion.

They spent every second of their non-work time together, again not a big change in the quantity, but a huge change of the quality. They laughed and they talked. Really talked. Since her fight with Angela and their revelations of the past, Brennan had been very open about her time in foster care, something that Booth had always been curious about. She had told him some pretty sad, frightening and even infuriating tales, but she did have some good memories from that time. She shared the story behind the dream that had affected her so strongly the night she had awoken trying to escape his arms on the couch. He immediately wanted to find and kill the young man responsible for putting her through that. She had looked at him for several minutes, then smiled and patted his arm and told him that sometimes things happen for a reason. He was stunned. Brennan had always been vocal in her disbelief of fate or the predetermination of the course of one's life that he had to ask her to repeat the statement. She had gotten really, really quiet and, for just a moment, he had feared that she was withdrawing from him. Then, she had crawled into his lap, put her arms around his neck and smilingly told him that incident was the best thing that had ever happened to her in foster care. He was stunned speechless, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

She laid her head on his shoulder and told him the full story. The foster parents in that home were named Collins, Helen and Henry. Their sons name was Tyler. They were new to the system and that was why Brennan was sent to them even though she was labeled as "trouble". They were good people Brennan insisted as if Booth would disagree. As she continued, Booth had to agree that they were, indeed, good people. The morning after Tyler had tried to attack her, Helen and Henry had come to her together and asked her to press charges against Tyler. Brennan was shocked. It had been her experience that the foster parents allowed their biological children to mistreat the foster children in their care without repercussions. The Collins' explained that Tyler had recently gotten involved with a bad crowd at school and had started experimenting with drugs. He had been high the night before. They hadn't liked his new friends and had tried to talk to him about them, but he had laughed it off. They had no idea about the drugs until the night before. When Henry marched Tyler back to his room and demanded an explanation for his unacceptable behavior, he had seen the glazed eyes and found Tyler's stash. Apparently, Tyler's drug use had been gradually increasing over the last couple of months and last night he had decided to get high at home for the first time.

The Collins were appalled by the entire situation, but most especially that Brennan had been treated that way in their home by their own son. Brennan had been overwhelmed by their concern for her well-being and suspiciously waited for the other shoe to drop. It never did. Brennan refused to press charges. She didn't want to do anything to draw further attention to herself within this broken system. She just wanted to keep her head down and age out so that she could be in control of her own life. Of course, she didn't share any of this, she simply said no. Helen had taken Brennan's hand and told her that they would understand if she didn't feel safe enough to stay with them after last night, but they hoped that she would choose to do so. They had already made arrangements for Tyler to immediately enter an inpatient drug treatment center, regardless of Brennan's decision, and Henry would be driving him to the facility later that day. Tyler would be an inpatient at least a month and would only be allowed to return to their household if he remained drug free. Brennan burst out that they couldn't kick their own son out of his home so that she could stay there, horrified by the thought. Helen had given her a gentle smile and told her that sometimes tough love was the best kind of love you could give your children.

Still suspicious of their motives, Brennan had agreed to stay on until Tyler's release from rehab. When he came back, he was polite, courteous and never looked at Brennan in anything other than a friendly manner. Still feeling safe (Henry had installed two extra sturdy locks on the inside of her bedroom door the night Tyler left for rehab) she had agreed to stay on. The next thing she knew she was leaving for college and she and Tyler were friends. She hadn't even realized until years later what a gift the Collins' had given her. They had given her back control over her own life by giving her a choice of whether to go or stay. They had given her a warm, loving, safe home with a woman who cared about what was going on in her life to talk to, they had kept the social worker off her back (She was so pleased by the reports she received that she basically ignored Brennan's existence). They had given her unconditional love and acceptance and sometimes it made her own heart ache that by the time she had been placed with them she had been unable to return that level of caring. She had been fond of them and kept in touch until their deaths in a car accident several years later, but they had deserved so much more for what they had done for her. Booth had just hugged her tightly and told her he was sure that they had understood. Then he asked about Tyler and she smiled. Yes, she and Tyler were still friends. He was an Endocrinologist with a thriving practice in New York, married with three children. And no, she had never dated him. Booth hadn't asked, but he had wanted to.

Booth thought that Brennan was blossoming right before his eyes. She was more open with her feelings, she was more open, more _relaxed_ about everything. She was still driven and focused on her work but no longer exclusively. She always had time for him and them. She had frequent outings with Angela, usually ending with him and Hodgins joining them for dinner or drinks somewhere. He had thought that she and Angela had been close before, but now it was almost scary how well those two knew each other. Hodgins said they shared a brain. At first, Booth had disagreed but now he was beginning to wonder. In the last couple of weeks, Angela appeared to have matured, grown more serious, rarely throwing out sexual innuendos or giggling over the least little thing. She was acting her age. Brennan's behavior was in no way age inappropriate but she was having moments that were so un-Brennan like that he didn't know what to think.

One of the interns had told a joke completely inappropriate to the workplace within Booth and Brennan's hearing. Booth had expected her to march over and reprimand the offender if she even got the joke. She had giggled. Dr Temperence Brennan did not _giggle._ Booth stared at her in shock. Then his mouth fell open as she bent over holding her stomach and laughing so hard that she was crying. Everyone in the lab paused and looked at her in astonishment. Except for Angela, who came by and patted Brennan on the back, then with a big smile and an eye roll she was gone. Booth had also noticed a very dry sense of humor asserting itself, she had actually made one of their recent suspects laugh so much while insulting him that he had added her name to his visitors list and asked Booth to pass on the invitation to the good doctor. So far, Booth had not. Then not two hours ago, they were returning to the lab from lunch. Booth had his arm slung around Brennan's shoulders and her arm was around his waist. Until she reached up under his jacket and slid it down the back of his pants, patting his butt, giving it a pinch, then withdrawing her hand. At the pat, he had frozen in his tracks. At the pinch, he had looked at her in disbelief. Her face was tipped toward him and her eyes were completely….innocent, like she hadn't just groped him in public after lecturing him about inappropriate touching. And, it wasn't her fake innocent face either. Wearing this face, Booth would have believed anything she said and that worried him. He began to think about what Hodgins had said. He knew that was impossible and he knew that Brennan and Angela couldn't have physically swapped bodies but that is kind of what it seemed like. Something was going on with his Bones and he needed to figure out what it was. He was so deep in thought he didn't hear Angela enter the room until she spoke.

"Hi, Booth." That was the tamest greeting he had ever received from her and he looked at her curiously. She looked back.

"What?" Booth scratched the back of his head and propped one ankle on the other knee. He frowned, trying to think of a delicate way to phrase his question.

"Ange, have you noticed anything unusual about the way Bones has been acting?" Angela grinned at his scrunched up face.

"Ah, I was wondering when you or Hodgie was going to say anything." At his raised eyebrow, she continued, "Don't worry, Booth, it's not Freaky Friday and the Bodysnatchers haven't been to Earth." Seeing the look on his face, she frowned and added, "At least, I don't think so." Laughing, she took pity on him. "Relax, Booth, I was just kidding. The truth is when Bren and I first met she wasn't nearly as withdrawn as she is now, but she was by no means a social butterfly. I was just a plain old butterfly flitting around doing my thing. When we became friends, we…balanced each other out." Booth recalled Brennan using those exact words and nodded for Angela to continue. "She learned how to be more of a kid and I grew up a little." Angela smiled as if that explained everything and, in a way, it did. This was Brennan's way of trying to integrate Tempe back into her personality, to let her out to have a life.

"Ange, what was Tempe like?" Booth questioned softly. Angela gave him a nostalgic smile.

"She was…Tempe, Booth," Seeing that he didn't understand, she turned further toward him in the chair and leaned excitedly closer as the perfect example appeared in her mind. "You know how Bren is kind of like a force of nature." _What the hell are you talking about, Angela. _"Ok, it's kind of like a tornado, the experts know how they're formed but no one really knows what goes on inside them. They just are what they are. Tempe was Tempe and Bren is Bren." Angela sat back, pleased with her explanation. And as convoluted and illogical as it was Booth thought he knew what she meant. You couldn't really explain Brennan. You just had to take her like she was. He grinned at Angela.

"Well, Ange, it's good to know that I don't have to worry about the body snatchers." They both burst out laughing as Brennan walked in the door.

"What's so funny?" she asked with a smile.

"Nothing, sweetie." She bounced up with a huge smile. "Are you ready to go?"

"Ange, do we have to? I'm sure there's something in my closet to wear." Brennan wasn't whining but she was close.

"Bren, you promised. It won't take long for us to find dresses, and then we have appointments for our hair and makeup."

"But, Ange, we're only going out for drinks with the people from the lab."

"To celebrate my engagement. I get to win this one, Bren." With a sigh, Brennan let her win. Brennan walked over to the chair where Booth was seated and after quickly looking around for witnesses, leaned down and gave him a kiss to curl his toes. She started to pull back. He growled, grabbed the back of her neck and returned the kiss with interest. They were both breathing heavily when he finally released his hold on her neck and she pulled back. Grabbing her arm, Angela barely gave her time to get her purse before pulling her out of the room, calling to Booth over her shoulder.

"We'll meet you guys at the bar. Don't be late." He nodded his agreement and got out of the chair, walking to the glass wall of the office, his eyes following their progress across the lab. They were laughing and chattering like schoolgirls and he briefly wished that he could have met Tempe. Turning away from the window, he headed back to his office. He had a lot to do before tonight.


	25. Chapter 25

"Ange, would you just, please, pick a dress, so that we can go?" Brennan was definitely whining. They had found a short black twenties style dress for Angela in the first boutique they had visited, but nothing that Brennan had considered had been acceptable to Angela. Brennan reached out and grabbed a blue dress that appeared to be her size off the closest rack and desperately displayed it to Angela. "What about this one?" she asked hopefully. Angela snorted.

"Maybe, if we were going to a funeral. No, Bren, I insist on us finding you the perfect dress for tonight." Brennan was tired and hungry and just wanted to grab the closest dress and get out of here, but she knew they weren't going anywhere until Angela was satisfied.

"Ange, maybe if you would tell me exactly what you're looking for, I can help you look." Brennan was willing to wear whatever Angela told her to if that meant she could get out of here. Angela threw her a smile and then turned to scan the items on display in the boutique.

"I'm not sure, Bren. I'll just know it when I see…," her voice trailed off and her face took on a look of almost reverence. "THAT!" she whispered, pointing at a display. A saleslady had been watching them and approached immediately offering her assistance, sensing an imminent sale. Angela hadn't taken her eyes off the dress. She simply pointed and barked out Brennan's size. The saleslady collected the dress and a few accessories. She knew that the dress would fit the lovely young auburn haired woman like a glove and felt certain that she would want to accessorize. Brennan took the dress from her and looked doubtfully from it to Angela.

"Ange, are you sure? There's not really much dress here. And it's red." It was cherry red chiffon with a satin slip of the same color. The top was simply two strips of material that fastened around the neck, went straight down to cover each breast (and not much else) and ended at the waistband, which is where the back of the dress started. The skirt was gathered and somewhat full and would end several inches above the knee. Angela almost shoved her into the dressing room.

"I'm sure, Bren, just try it on." She ordered. Angela and the saleslady stood side by side, arms crossed looking like the impenetrable defensive line of a football team. Brennan figured that she should just try on the damn dress or she was never getting out of this store. But she was determined that she was not going to buy the thing and she certainly wasn't going to wear it in public, no matter what Angela said. She slipped into the dressing room and put on the damn dress. Then she didn't want to step outside. She just knew that Angela was going to insist that this was the dress and she was frantically trying to think of some excuse to give her, but a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that she wouldn't be able to give Angela a good enough excuse not to wind up wearing this dress tonight.

"Bren, do you have it on yet?" Angela was impatient.

"Yes." Brennan didn't come out of the dressing room.

"Bren, come out." Angela was now exasperated.

"No." Brennan was pleased with this idea. That lasted until Angela stepped into the dressing room with her. At her first sight of Brennan in the dress, Angela started squealing and quickly covered her mouth with her hand to stifle the sounds.

"Oh my God, Bren. You have to wear that dress tonight." Although Brennan knew it was useless, she gave it the old college try. Lifting her head, she looked Angela straight in the eye.

"No." Angela laughed. Brennan narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Bren, that dress is perfect for you. I can't wait to see Booth's face when he sees you in that." Brennan's interest perked up at that. She hadn't thought of that. Suddenly, this didn't seem like such a bad idea.

"Fine, Angela. Can we go now?" Angela suddenly became a whirlwind of motion, whipping the dressing room door open and barking out orders out to the saleswoman who took off at a run to comply. "Angela, what are you doing?" demanded Brennan.

"We're not going to have time to go to your place and change so we're going to dress from the skin here to make our appointment."

"Ange, can't we just skip the appointment?" Brennan wasn't whining now, she was begging.

"No," Angela snapped. Startled by Angela's tone and her actions of the last few hours, Brennan's eyes narrowed.

"Ange, what's going on?" Angela sank down into the chair in the corner of the room. Dropping her head into her hands, her shoulders began to shake. Brennan dropped to her knees and placed her hand on Angela's shoulder. Angela raised her head, her eyes filled with tears. She gripped Brennan's hand.

"I need tonight to be perfect, Bren." It was obvious that Brennan didn't understand. Angela wasn't sure that she understood either but she tried to explain to herself and her best friend. "It's the first time that we've celebrated this engagement and I'm afraid if things go badly Hodgins will back out." Brennan gathered Angela in a tight hug and tried to reassure her.

"Ange, you know Hodgins loves you. He isn't going to back out of this engagement, but I'll wear whatever you want me to, Ok?" Angela perked up so fast that Brennan wondered for just a split second if she had just been had, but the saleswoman was thrusting underwear and shoes at her so fast she didn't have any choice but to grab them. Angela bounced up, grabbing her own bags and the underwear the saleslady had brought for her and turned to Brennan.

"Strip," she ordered in the voice of a drill sergeant. With a sigh, Brennan did as she was told. She redressed herself in red satin panties exactly the same color as her dress. She raised her eyebrows at the matching red garter belt but put it on without protest. It was followed by black silk stockings that attached to the garter belt, then she slipped the dress over her head. Angela and the saleswoman stifled gasps. The red satin lining of the top molded to Brennan's breasts and left no doubt that she was well endowed. The red of the dress made her skin appear even milkier and the length of the skirt made her legs look like they went on forever, especially when she slipped on the 3 inch stilettos that Angela insisted on. Angela quickly changed looking lovely in a black beaded 20's stlye dress that she paired with black stockings and 3 inch black heels. She knew that Brennan would balk at the shoes if she didn't suffer right along with her. They quickly paid for their purchases and dashed out to the cab waiting at the curb, courtesy of the saleslady. She could afford to be generous; she had just made a very heft commission off of those two lovely young ladies.

Two hours later, Angela and Brennan had been pampered with manicures, had their hair and makeup done and arrived at the club. Every male, and some female, heads turned at their entrance and watched as they made their way over to a large reserved table where four young men and one young woman waited. All four young men rose at their approach and managed to close their mouths before they actually started drooling, except Mr. Fischer. Greetings were exchanged and just as Brennan was about to ask about Booth and Hodgins, Daisy piped in helpfully explaining that Lance had needed a ride and they were going to pick him up. They should be arriving shortly. Angela grabbed Brennan for a bathroom and Clark called after them asking if he should order for them. Angela called back that she wanted a sex on the beach but just as Brennan answered the band started playing and drowned out her words. Clark turned to Daisy for help. Daisy was, of course, happy to be of assistance in any way concerning her idol.

"She said order her something with sloe gin," she answered with a smile. By the time the ladies returned from the ladies room, their drinks had arrived and they both drank thirstily, quickly draining the glasses. The waiter came by for refill orders and Brennan asked what the name of her drink was. He leaned in and whispered it in her ear. Brennan gave a throaty laugh and Angela's head came up, giving Brennan a narrow eyed glance.

"So, what can I get everybody?" The very helpful waiter started with Brennan and gave her a wink.

"I'll have A Slow Comfortable Screw Up Against the Wall," she purred. Everyone at the table choked on their drinks or their tongues. She laughed at their reaction. "What? It's a drink. This drink." She held up her glass. The waiter took their orders and returned shortly. Brennan almost drained this one and decided to go to the bathroom to fix her hair, she felt some pins slipping. The others carried on a light conversation and Angela was talking on the phone to Hodgins when Mr. Nigel Murray's eyes almost popped out of his head. Angela spun around to see what had caught his attention and almost had heart failure. Brennan had taken her hair down out of the elaborate French twist and shaken it out, leaving it looking sexy and tousled around her face and shoulders. But this was definitely not Brennan walking toward them. This was Tempe. She held herself like a dancer, confident, tall and straight, her movements fluid almost languid. She didn't strut, it was much more subtle than that and much sexier because of the subtly. Tongues were hanging out everywhere.

"Oh, God," Angela moaned, "Hodgie, please hurry." She hung up on him and gave the interns the evil, Angela eye. "Who gave her sloe gin?" Daisy and Clark looked at each other and both kept their mouths shut. "Who?" demanded Angela, slapping the table. Daisy and Clark pointed at each other. "Why would you do that?" The horror she felt was evident in Angela's face and voice. Clark and Daisy started talking at the same time, blaming each other but Tempe had reached the table by then.

Tempe glanced around the table bestowing a smile that made every male within sight swallow hard and asked, "Who wants to dance?" Fischer and Nigel-Murray were instantly on their feet. Even Wendell and Clark had to stop themselves from jumping up like a jack in the box.

"Sit down," Angela snapped at Fischer and Nigel-Murray. "Trust me, boys, you can't handle Tempe." She gave Wendell and Clark a speculative glance. Turning to Tempe, she pointed to them.

"You can have one of them," she offered. Tempe took her time looking over the offerings, then pointed to Wendell.

"Wendell, go dance with her," Angela ordered. Wendell didn't know what to do. He felt like a side of beef that had just been auctioned off, but he needed his job. So, he went. Angela half turned in her chair and called out after them.

"Tempe, play nice." Wendell swallowed hard but relaxed a little when she called back an affirmative answer to Angela. Angela grabbed her phone and speed dialed Hodgins. Tempe pulled Wendell onto the dance floor and lost herself in the music. Wendell was actually a pretty good dancer, but he was a little stiff. She leaned in close to tell him to loosen up and he stiffened even more. She just couldn't resist having a little fun with him. She gave him a reassuring Dr. Brennan smile.

"Relax, Wendell, I don't bite." He did relax and smiled back. She now leaned in and gave him her best bad girl smile. "Much," she said snapping her teeth at him. He jumped back about two feet and she almost fell on the floor laughing. Back at the table, Hodgins finally answered his phone.

"Where the hell, are you?"

"Well, yeah, sorry to hear that but I've got a few problems of my own at the moment."

"Oh, no, seriously this trumps a damn flat tire, Hodgie." She was glaring at Clark and Daisy.

"Some moron ordered Bren a drink with Sloe Gin, so if the two of you can get you butts in gear and get here sometime today, I'll introduce you to Tempe!" She was yelling pretty loudly by the time she hung up on Hodgins this time and turned to the dance floor to keep an eye on Tempe. Poor Wendell looked terrified, but Tempe was behaving very well. She was just enjoying the music and dancing. Angela smiled for about 30 seconds and then she saw the men start approaching and trying to cut in.

"Dammit," she muttered. She knew how to take care of this. Taking a big swig of her drink, she got up from the table without a word and walked onto the dance floor, tapping Wendell on the shoulder and sending him back to the table with a jerk of her head. He looked so relieved that Angela made a mental note to talk to Brennan about him getting combat pay for tonight. Angela and Brennan smiled at each other and began one of the many dance routines they had practiced endlessly over the years. The men backed off immediately.

Ten minutes later, Hodgins, Booth and Sweets burst through the doors of the club, looking around frantically as if they expected to find chaos or bloodshed. They calmed considerably when they saw happy people at a club. How bad could it be? They finally spotted the interns and made their way to the table. They called out greetings, but Daisy was the only one who responded. The four men had their eyes glued to something that Booth couldn't see through the crowd at this angle and apparently hadn't even heard them. Booth walked around to the front of the table to get their attention. When Booth interrupted their line of sight, all four leaned so far to the side that they were in danger of falling out of their chairs and continued to ignore him.

"What the hell?" he demanded. Daisy, who was finished greeting Lancie with a few kisses, answered him with a dramatic eye roll.

"You don't want to know." _Well, yeah, pretty sure I do or I wouldn't have asked_. Booth looked at Hodgins who shrugged. Booth looked around the room trying to spot Brennan. He didn't even consider that she might be on the dance floor. Just then, the band finished that number and people started leaving the dance floor. The interns straightened in their chairs but their eyes never moved from the dance floor. Hodgins finally caught sight of what held their interest so raptly when the music started back up and his eyes widened.

"Booth," he whispered. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Booth!" Booth's head turned and Hodgins pointed. It was all he could do, words failed him at the sight before them. Booth's head snapped around, following Hodgins pointing finger and his breath caught. Before him was the beautiful woman that he was in love with, that he was in a relationship with but this woman didn't hide any part of herself. She wore her sensual nature proudly and naturally, pure joy radiating from her face. And she was dancing. It wasn't anything like the strip tease but this was somehow more alluring. Maybe, it was knowing exactly what was under those clothes, he didn't know but he was instantly hot and hard. And jealous as hell when he looked around and realized that over half the men in the place were looking at his Bones the same way he was. They way that no one else had a right to look at her. Well, he was going to fix that he decided, starting with the interns. His fist came down on the table so hard that glasses fell over. Four pairs of eyes shot to his irate face. He only had to say one word.

"Enough." All eyes dropped. Except for Sweets. Booth glared at him, but Sweets continued to watch the dance floor almost clinically. Booth turned back to see what Sweets was studying and for the first time noticed Angela dancing with Brennan. Ah, now he understood the junior squints fascination. Yes, the girls sometimes danced back to back or rubbed shoulders, little touches that no one with any sense would consider sexual in nature, but he could practically see the wheels turning in Sweets' head. He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck and was about to say something when he felt a pair of arms encircling his waist from behind. He turned and in his arms was the goddess from the dance floor. She gave him an openly seductive smile and ran her hands slowly up his chest to the back of his neck.

"Hello, handsome." Before he could even answer, she had pulled his head down and was ravishing his mouth with hers. Not that he minded. In fact, he thought the top of his head might blow off when she sucked his bottom lip into her mouth. You could have heard a pin drop at their table. Angela looked around and saw that she needed to do some damage control. She cleared her throat. Nothing. Booth and Brennan were kissing like they weren't going to stop anytime soon. Knowing Tempe's tendency to act in the moment, Angela knew she had to do something before this got embarrassing. For everyone. She reached out and tapped Tempe on the shoulder. Tempe removed her hand from Booth's chest to swat at Angela but the tongue action never faltered. Her hand didn't go back to his chest either. Angela reached out and grabbed her hand just before it grabbed his butt. Tempe tried to jerk her hand away, but Angela refused to let go. She jabbed Booth in the side with her elbow. Hard. His head jerked up but it took a moment for his vision to clear and reason to clear. Crap. He had stood here making out with Bones in front of the junior squints and Sweets. Double Crap. At least his back was turned to the table and they hadn't been able to actually see how hot those kisses were. Tempe was still trying to kiss him and he just didn't have the will to push her away. Seeing this, Angela stepped behind Tempe, grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around.

"What?" Tempe bellowed directly in Angela's face, breathing hard. She took a couple of deep breaths and gave Angela a sheepish smile, "I'm sorry, Ange, I didn't know it was you." Peering around Booth, she saw everyone at the table staring at her and Booth with shock. "What?" she yelled at them. Everyone's eyes dropped but Sweets. He held her gaze. Well, well, well, looked like Sweets wanted to play. She could work with that. She smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"Is there something you want to ask me, Sweets?" she asked sweetly. He smiled back at her with his psychologist face firmly in place.

"As a matter of fact, there is Dr. Brennan. How long have you and Angela known each other?" Tempe showed no surprise at the question but Angela stiffened.

"Why do you want to know?" Angela demanded. Sweets looked at her.

"Why don't you want me to know?" Before Angela could answer, Tempe gave a husky laugh and laid a calming hand on Angela's shoulder.

"He doesn't care how long we've known each other, Ange." She narrowed her eyes at Sweets. "Now, Lance, why don't you ask your real question?" she taunted. Sweets locked eyes with Tempe and neither gave an inch.

"What real question?" whispered Angela. Tempe was slowly walking around the table toward Sweets, dragging a nail along the back of each chair as she passed.

"Well, Ange, what he really wants to know, but apparently doesn't have the balls to ask is if we've ever been lovers. Right, Sweets?" His mouth tightened and he swallowed hard as she reached him, those cold blue eyes drilling into his, and he flinched.

"All right, yes, that was my real question." She lightly ran her nail from his hand, up his arm and to his shoulder as she walked around behind him. On the other side of his chair, she leaned in and whispered something in his ear. He swallowed hard. She gave Angela a reassuring smile and Booth a bad girl wink and strolled off in the direction of the bathroom.

Angela jumped up and raced after Tempe. Hodgins and Booth gave Sweets scathing looks. Sweets looked back.

"Did you two know that they lived together for 3 ½ years?" he demanded.

"No," Hodgins answered. Turning to Booth, he continued, "I'd say all together, it was closer to five, wouldn't you?"

"Yep," answered Booth, "maybe even six." Sweets gaped at their calm answers.

"And nothing about that bothers either one of you?" he demanded. Booth looked him straight in the eye, his eyes cold and deadly, as was his voice. "Sweets nothing about those two is any of your business. Leave it alone." Hodgins nodded agreement. The waiter happened by and Booth and Hodgins ordered for themselves and refills for the girls. The drinks had arrived by the time the girls made it back to the table and Tempe grabbed hers up and slurped it halfway empty before Angela could snatch it out of her hands.

"Hey, give it back," Tempe groused. Angela stared at the drink and then at the people around the table in disbelief.

"Who the hell ordered her another one of these?" Seven fingers pointed at Booth. Angela glared at him, muttering under her breath, "Un freaking believable." She set the drink out of Tempe's reach and gave her a warning glance.

Tempe walked over to Booth, plopped herself in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning in to whisper in his ear, "Booth, I want a Slow Comfortable Screw Up Against the Wall." _Yeah, Baby. You heard her, Booth. Give the girl what she wants._ Booth was instantly ready to comply until he heard Angela laughing and looked up to see her shaking the glass she had taken away from Tempe. _Oh, she meant a drink. Damn._ Now, she was nibbling on his earlobe and had the attention of the entire table, including Cavie. He had to distract her. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear.

"Let's dance." She jumped up and Booth caught a flash of thigh and a garter belt and almost groaned out loud. Of course, he had noticed the dress covering that fine body, but now he really sat up and paid attention as it were and knew that he was in serious trouble. Looking into her twinkling eyes, he saw that she knew it, too. And she was enjoying it. She grinned and held out her hand. He took it and allowed her to lead him onto the dance floor, prepared to be tortured. Or at least he thought he was. But nothing had ever prepared him for her particular brand of torture. She wrapped her lithe, limber body around him, her hands all over his body. She danced away and deliberately flashed him glimpses of thigh and breast, along with sultry looks and sensual smiles. By the time two songs were over, she had him so tied up in knots that he seriously considered tossing her over his shoulder and carrying her out to the SUV to continue their fun and games. He asked if she was ready to go and she threw him a sultry look from under her lashes, biting her lip and shook her head. He noticed, then, that she had guided them around the edge of the dance floor and now they were standing about 5 feet away from the back exit. His eyes narrowed.

"Bones, what are you doing?" She held out her hand.

"Remember what I asked you for at the table?" It took him a second. His eyes widened and he lifted a brow. He took her hand. She led him out the door for her non-alcoholic Screw Up Against the Wall.


	26. Chapter 26

Brennan yawned and stretched, slowly regaining consciousness, feeling wonderful. She was warm, comfortable and more relaxed than she could remember being in a long time. She snuggled into the hard chest against her back and felt a chuckle rumble through it.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Booth greeted in a husky but cheerful voice. Brennan rolled over in his arms and smiled, rubbing her hands slowly over his chest.

"Good morning, handsome." At the words, her face took on a look of horror and she sat straight up in bed covering her face with her hands. "Oh, God," she moaned. Now she knew why she felt so relaxed. She always felt great after Tempe had let loose. Until she started to remember what all she had done and then the feeling great usually morphed into embarrassment and horror at her actions. The images of everything she had done last night filled her mind and she moaned again. Booth sat up and tried to pull her hands away so he could see her face but she was too embarrassed to look at him right now and wouldn't let him. Instead of struggling with her, he scooted back to prop his back against the headboard and pulled her into the v of his spread thighs, dropping his chin to her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her waist. Angela had warned him to expect all kinds of self recriminations from Brennan this morning. But he honestly didn't think that anything she had done last night had been that bad, no worse than anyone who'd had a little too much to drink. Sure, she had outed them in front of the squints and Sweets, but so what? It wasn't like they were ashamed of being involved. They weren't trying to hide their new relationsip, it was just that nobody had noticed. He was pretty sure they had noticed last night.

"Come on, Bones, it can't be that bad." Her head whipped around and she looked at him in horror.

"How can you say that, Booth? I practically sexually harassed one of my interns last night," she hung her head in shame.

"_What?" _he roared before he could stop himself, pushing away from the headboard and turning her to face him. She wouldn't meet his eyes, but she softly recounted the story of Angela offering her the choices of Wendell or Clark and her actions on the dance floor. He reached out and cupped her face in his palms, tilting her head and giving her a soft smile.

"Bones, that is not sexual harassment, not even close. I'm sure that Wendell was flattered. If you feel that you have to, you can always apologize on Monday, but he's probably already forgotten all about it." She looked at him hopefully.

"Do you really think so?" Well, no, he didn't really think so, but if it made her feel better, he was willing to tell her a little white lie on this one.

"Sure, Baby. He probably won't remember a thing by Monday." Booth would make sure of that. He would have a little chat with Wendell before Brennan had a chance to. She smiled up at him for a second and then her eyes widened and her face fell again.

"I'm pretty sure that Sweets won't forget what I said to him by Monday." _Or ever_, she thought. Booth tenderly stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. He had been curious about what she had said to Sweets and now that she had brought it up, he saw no reason to not appease that curiosity.

"What did you say to Sweets?" She could feel herself flushing. She had been angry that Sweets was asking about something that was none of his business, angrier still that he was upsetting Angela. She had leaned over and purred in his ear.

"We lived together for 3 ½ years during our college days, Sweets. What do you think? And, Sweets, I really, really don't like for Angela to be upset, so you might want to back off there before you make me angry." Booth had to choke back his laughter. He had seen the look on Sweets face and even though Brennan hadn't directly threatened him, Sweets had taken her seriously. No, he wouldn't be forgetting her words anytime soon and, unfortunately, Booth couldn't threaten or bribe him. So, they would deal with it he thought with a mental shrug. He leaned down until their foreheads touched.

"We can deal with Sweets," he insisted. She was beginning to look hopeful, but glanced at him shyly. "What?" he asked. He was fascinated by the deep flush that covered her chest, neck and face. _Oh, this must be good._ She hid her face against his chest and mumbled her answer.

"You, Booth. I pushed you up against a wall and..." Her face was pressed so tightly to his chest that her words were unintelligible.

"And had your wicked way with me?" he tilted her head up and asked with an eyebrow wiggle and a grin. She nodded. "Yeah, and it was great. I'm at your service any time you want to repeat the experience." Her eyes lit up.

"Really?" she purred rising to her knees and wrapping her arms around his neck, her naked chest pressed against his. "I don't have any brick walls available," she whispered, nibbling on his lips.

"Oh, I think we can come up with something," he returned deepening the kiss. "After all, you are a genius," he reminded her sinking down into the sheets and pulling her with him.

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They had a wonderful, lazy weekend, lounging in bed as late as they wanted, making love wherever and whenever they wanted. They dragged themselves out of the apartment late Sunday afternoon to have dinner with Angela and Jack at his place. Brennan apologized profusely for ruining their celebration of their engagement at the club and was surprised and touched when they both laughed it off. Angela said that she was happy to have Tempe with her to celebrate. Jack said that he was honored to finally meet the person that he had heard so much about. They both did add that Brennan should always order her own drinks from now on. They spent several enjoyable hours with the other couple and returned to her apartment to fall into bed.

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Monday morning, they had a scheduled appointment with Dr Lance Sweets. Brennan wanted Booth to reschedule but he refused, telling her that it was best to just get it over with. She finally agreed and they were sitting in the waiting room at his office.

"Booth, what will we tell him if he asks about us?" she had been shooting questions at him for the last ten minutes, and he was maintaining his patience remarkably well. Turning his head, he gave her a puzzled look.

"What about us?" She rolled her eyes.

"You know, about _us._" She sucked at innuendo, but he got her meaning. He grinned.

"You mean about you kissing me like you never wanted to stop and crawling into my lap at the club?" She gave him a disgruntled look and a nod. He took her hand, intertwining their fingers.

"What do you want to tell him about us?" he asked gently, curious about her answer. She snorted.

"Nothing. It's none of his business." But she knew they couldn't get away with that. They were going to have to tell him something and she only saw two options. Come clean about the new developments in their relationship or treat the incidents in the club as anomalies brought on by alcohol consumption, in effect lying about and hiding their relationship. Brennan immediately dismissed the last option. She wasn't ashamed of being involved with Booth and she refused to hide it. She heaved a huge sigh. "We're going to have to tell him the truth aren't we?" Booth lifted their twined hands to his mouth and kissed the back of her hand.

"Yeah, but look on the bright side, maybe, he won't ask." Brennan rolled her eyes. Neither held out much hope for that miracle. The door to the inner office opened and they got up and entered as cheerfully as someone trudging to the gallows. Seating themselves side by side but not touching on the love seat they finally looked up to find Sweets seated in his usual chair, fingers steepled under his chin gazing at them thoughtfully. They looked at each other then back at Sweets.

"Good morning, Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth." He finally offered his customary greeting and they both returned it a little suspiciously. Sweets smiled and sat forward in his chair.

"Did you have a pleasant weekend, Dr. Brennan?" Her eyes narrowed. _What was he up to? Why didn't he just ask about her and Booth? _

"Yes." Seeing that she was finished, Booth broke in a little too jovially.

"Me, too, Sweets, thanks for asking." Sweets turned to Booth and smiled.

"Is there anything that you and Dr. Brennan would like to discuss this morning?" Booth and Brennan exchanged one of their famous looks and both turned back to Sweets. Booth answered for them.

"Nope, Sweets. Not a thing." Booth was jiggling his leg up and down and fidgeting until Brennan reached over and laid her hand on his thigh. He instantly stilled and shot her a smile.

"So, neither of you thinks we should talk about what happened at the club Friday night?" Booth chuckled nervously and started to dismiss the question. Brennan leaned forward and met Sweets' gaze levelly.

"What is it you want to discuss, Dr. Sweets?" She asked in a voice that would have made all her grad students run for cover. Sweets didn't flinch, but continued to hold her gaze.

"Your behavior, Dr. Brennan," he returned steadily. Brennan was getting tense and Booth didn't like where this was heading so, as usual, he jumped in to rescue her.

"Hey, Sweets, she had a little too much to drink and got a little silly. Give her a break, would ya?" Booth winced and prayed that Brennan wouldn't kill him for the silly remark. She and Sweets never broke eye contact.

"But it was more than that wasn't it, Dr. Brennan?" Sweets insisted. Calmly, Brennan sat back and crossed her arms.

"What, exactly, is it that you're trying to say, Dr. Sweets?" His posture and facial expression didn't change.

"Dr. Brennan, there is a phenomenon termed disintegrated personality where someone has very deep seated issues in their everyday life and are unable to adequately express themselves. When they consume alcohol, their inhibitions are lowered and their behavior gets wilder than anyone would have ever imagined for that person." Brennan snorted at his assessment, but Booth listened thoughtfully.

"You know I don't put much stock in psychology," she scoffed. "And I deal with my issues just fine, Sweets." Sweets snorted at that. So did Booth, but his was silent. After all, he didn't want to die today. Brennan shot Booth a glare that let him know she had heard that snort, silent or not and tuned a cold stare on Sweets. Booth tried to salvage the situation before Brennan just decimated the kid.

"Sweets, what is it that she did that makes you think that she has this personality thingy?" Sweets turned his attention to Booth and gave him a thanks for asking smile.

"The seductive dancing for one thing. It's designed to draw notice." Booth and Brennan both gasped at the comment. Yes, Booth considered her dancing very seductive, but knowing her history and training he also knew that was just the way she moved, no seduction intended. He was offended on her behalf at Sweets' attitude. Glancing at her, he saw that he didn't need to be offended on her behalf, she was plenty offended on her own.

"That's the way I dance," she insisted, loudly. Sweets snorted.

"Dr. Brennan, nobody dances or even moves like that without the express purpose of drawing attention to themselves," Sweets insisted. Booth wanted to yell at Sweets to just shut up, he could see how much this was upsetting Brennan, but knew that the young man had his teeth sunk into this and wouldn't just let it go without an explanation. His eyes told Brennan as much.

"They do if they were trained as a ballerina," she told him furiously. Sweets laughed until Brennan left the couch and marched toward the door with Booth right behind her.

"Wait," yelled Sweets. "You're serious?" he whispered noting the furious look on Booth's face and Brennan's rigid posture. "I'm sorry, Dr. Brennan. Please sit back down," he pleaded. Booth's hand smoothed up and down Brennan's back, soothing her temper and relaxing her, but he left the choice of going or staying up to her. She slowly returned to her previous seat and glared at Sweets. "I apologize Dr. Brennan. You being trained as a classical ballerina provides a perfectly reasonable explanation for your dancing." Brennan's face softened slightly, until he continued. "But that doesn't explain the rest of your behavior." Booth hadn't thought it would be that easy to derail Sweets but he could always have hope.

"What other behavior are you talking about, Sweets?" Booth was fairly certain that he knew, but, hey, why not just get it all out into the open?

"I'm talking about the sexual advances that Dr. Brennan made toward you on Friday night, Agent Booth? Obviously they indicate a subconscious desire on Dr. Brennan's part to deepen your relationship from its current level. How do you feel about that? Are you interested in developing a more intimate relationship with Dr. Brennan? If you do become more intimate, how will it affect your partnership?" The questions were coming fast and furious and the only thing that Booth focused on was that Sweets didn't know that they were a couple_. How could he not have figured that out? _He turned to Brennan and saw that she was embarrassed to have her behavior trotted out by Sweets but she had also realized that he didn't know about them. His smile asked a question. The sparkle in her eyes gave an answer_. Excellent. Game on. _Booth turned back to Sweets and held up a hand for silence. Sweets shut up.

"Sweets, haven't you ever had a few drinks and done something in public that you wouldn't normally do?" Booth saw by the flush invading Sweets' face that he had. "Well, that was what happened Friday night. Thanks for your concern but Bones and I are good." Brennan nodded her agreement. Sweets' jaw dropped disbelievingly.

"Dr. Brennan, can you honestly tell me that you don't want your relationship with Agent Booth to become more intimate than it is now?" Brennan dropped her head to hide a smile. Raising her head, she met Sweets' eyes, face impassive.

"Yes. I am perfectly happy with my current relationship with Booth." Sweets saw the honesty in her eyes and knew that she was telling the truth. He turned to Booth.

"What about you, Agent Booth? Are you happy with the current status of this partnership?" Booth nodded and Sweets continued. "Because, I've got to tell you that after seeing your reaction to Dr. Brennan's advances, I'm finding that a little hard to believe." Booth threw him a _Why, whatever could you mean by that? _look. Sweets rolled his eyes. "You kissed her back, Agent Booth." He paused, his silence demanding an actual answer. Booth thought frantically for a moment for something to say other than _Of course,_ _I kissed her back and I kiss her and a lot more every chance I get. _ That would give Sweets just a little too much information.

"Well, of course, I kissed her back, Sweets. Pushing her away would have embarrassed her. She may have been acting out of character but she's still my partner and partners have each other's backs." Booth was proud of himself for coming up with this and not having to actually lie. Brennan's glance told him that she was also impressed. Sweets' eyes narrowed.

"And you don't feel uncomfortable with each other after having your tongues down each other's throats?" Booth and Brennan were a little startled by the phrasing, but after sharing a quick glance, they both shook their heads. Sweets could see just by looking at them that they were perfectly comfortable with each other. He scratched his head getting the nagging feeling that he was missing something. Booth jumped in before he could ask another question.

"Sweets, Bones and I have worked all this out. There is no need for you to be concerned." Booth gave him a reassuring smile. Sweets stared back suspiciously. _These two had worked something that huge out on their own? Without any poking, prodding or nagging from him? Not possible._

"When?" Then a memory from Friday night flitted through his mind. "Were you working it out when you two disappeared from the club Friday night?" Booth fought the blush he could feel rising in his cheeks and determinedly didn't look at Brennan.

"Yeah, Sweets, we worked it out at the club." And they had. Booth just hadn't specified exactly which "it" they had worked out when he had Brennan pinned to the wall outside the nightclub. Sweets considered this. Booth and Brennan had disappeared for about half an hour and when they came back, they were both much more relaxed with each other and everyone else. With a sigh, Sweets decided to move on. He leaned forward and clasped his hands together, thumbs forming a steeple.

"Dr. Brennan, I think we need to talk about your relationship with Angela," he said gently. Brennan's mouth tightened and Booth looked at her in concern.

"No." Sweets waited for her to continue, but that was all she had to say on the matter. Sweets sighed but he wasn't willing to let this one go. Brennan glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest

"Dr Brennan, I couldn't help but notice that you and Angela exhibit behaviors of a codependent relationship, and these are never healthy for either party." Brennan was on her feet instantly, leaning over Sweets until they were nose to nose, her face an icy mask and her eyes as cold as the arctic circle.

"Angela and I are none of your business, Sweets. Now back off," she spat through clenched teeth. There was a stongly implied Or else at the end of her statement. Turning to Booth, her face and voice softened somewhat. "I'm done here." Booth was right behind her as she headed for the door.

"Dr Brennan, as your therapist anything that might affect your ability to do your job is my business." Brennan paused with her hand on the doorknob, but didn't turn.

"Sweets, your questions about Angela have nothing to do with my job performance. You just want to satisfy your own sick curiosity." She pulled the door open and they were gone leaving Sweets to ponder her parting shot.

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An hour later, after coffee and pie at the diner, they returned to the lab. Brennan was still irate at Sweets and headed off to Limbo. Booth rounded up the junior squints that had been present for the show Friday night and ushered them into a conference room. They went reluctantly but were too intimidated by him for outright refusal. The interns seated themselves around the conference table, but Booth remained standing at the head of the table.

"So," he said, rubbing his hands together and giving them a congenial smile, "I just wanted to talk to all of you about Friday night." They looked back blankly. "Bones' behavior was a little out of the ordinary, but I think that it would be better for everyone if we all just forgot about that and didn't mention it to her." He was giving them all a stern look as he finished speaking. Translation: It doesn't matter what Bones did, if any of you give her even one second of embarrassment or grief over it, you will answer to me. The interns glanced at each other, easily understanding the translation of Booth's actual statement and quickly nodded their agreement to his "suggestion". He gave them a smile of approval and motioned them back into their seats when they started to rise. "One more thing," he began congenially, leaning forward and bracing his hands on the conference table. "Which one of you actually gave her that first drink?" Four pairs of eyes were suddenly studiously avoiding his. He just stood there and looked at them one by one. He interrogated hardened criminals for a living, he didn't think it would take him long to break this bunch. It didn't. After only a couple of minutes of the oppressive silence, Clark jumped to his feet. His arms were gesticulating wildly as he was almost shouting.

"Me. It was me, Ok? I did it. I ordered her that drink." He slapped his own chest with both open palms for emphasis then ran his hand across his head and began to pace in agitation. "You know, you people are completely inappropriate in the workplace, but I thought that maybe, just maybe, in a social setting that you all might be semi normal. But no, take you out of the lab and you just get more inappropriate and a hell of a lot weirder. This has got to be the strangest group of people on the face of the planet." Finished with his rant, he planted his hands on his hips and paused to look at Booth. "Don't worry, Agent Booth, I won't say anything to Dr. Brennan," he sighed tiredly as if just being around these people exhausted him. Booth could actually understand and identify with that. He nodded at Clark and indicated with a wave of his hand that they could go.

"Wendell, can I see you alone for a minute?" Wendell flinched, less than five feet from escape, but turned back to Booth.

"Yes, Agent Booth?" He tried to paste a look of polite interest on his face but didn't quite make it. Booth smiled at the grimace he did manage. Booth walked over to him.

"Wendell, Bones told me about dancing with you Friday night and I…," Booth was interrupted by a very nervous Wendell. _Crap_, he had been afraid that dancing with Dr. Brennan would piss Booth off. He just hoped that Booth wouldn't resort to physical violence. He could at least tell his side of the story before he got punched, he decided.

"Booth, I'm sorry. I didn't want to dance with her. Angela made me." Puzzled by Wendell's anxiety as well as his words, Booth nodded and continued, placing his hand on Wendell's shoulder.

"Look, Wendell, I know that Bones was acting a little strange," Wendell's eyes widened. _A little strange? How about the pod people are in town and they've_ _already paid Dr. Brennan a visit strange?_ Oblivious to Wendell's thoughts, Booth went on, "and she's afraid that she might have given you the wrong impression Friday night. She's going to talk to you about it today and I would appreciate it if you just don't make that talk hard for her." Wendell translated these words as "She's going to talk to you and it would be better for your continued good health to act like you saw _nothing_ on Friday night. And he didn't have a problem with that. It had actually been a little funny to see the ever so controlled Dr. Brennan let loose and now that he knew that Booth wasn't going to kill him for dancing with his woman, he was relieved enough to agree to almost anything.

"Sure thing, Booth." Booth patted his shoulder and walked out the room whistling. Wendell followed thinking that Clark was right and this place and these people got stranger every day.


	27. Chapter 27

**Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

Dr. Lance Sweets was troubled. After Dr. Brennan had practically handed him his manhood and marched out of his office this morning, he had spent every free moment poring over her parting words. Looking at them from all angles and trying to determine if they had any validity. In his opinion, they did not. Anything that affected Dr. Brennan as strongly as her relationship with Angela had the potential to negatively impact her job performance and, therefore, should fall under his purview. Yes, he was curious about their past, but not in a perverted way like she had implied. He was interested in the events that caused them to form such a close bond and be so over protective of each other. He would stand behind everything that he had said in his office today. Professionally speaking that is.

On a more personal level, he knew that he had handled Dr. Brennan very badly. He knew, as Booth had often told him, that you can't push her. You had to lay out the facts and let her come to her own conclusions or you could be arguing the point into infinity. That's just the way she was made. And as a professional psychologist, he should have his butt kicked for escalating the situation like he had. He really liked Booth and Dr. Brennan and had been expecting them to deepen their relationship for some time. In fact, sometimes he just wanted to smack both of them and tell them to get it together and just jump each other all ready. But none of this was about him and what he thought they wanted or even should do. This was about them and what they wanted and needed from each other. He owed Dr. Brennan another apology and just hoped she didn't drop kick him out of her office.

An hour later, he walked into the Jeffersonian after fortifying himself with coffee and pie at the diner and approached Dr. Brennan's office. Agent Booth was also in her office. _Big surprise_. No matter what they said about being satisfied with their relationship, it had certainly looked to him like they both wanted more and he couldn't believe that they were going to ignore something so huge as practically sucking each other's faces off in public and walk that partner line probably until they were too old to even have sex. Instead of entering the office, he stood slightly out of sight, staring in the glass wall observing the couple. Brennan was sitting in her chair behind her desk, turned toward Booth who was propped against the desk beside her. They weren't touching, but they were smiling at each other and laughing. It was something that Sweets had seen them do a hundred times before, but it just seemed more….intimate, somehow. His brow furrowed.

"Spy on people much, Sweets?" Angela asked very loudly. Brennan had told her about the scene in Sweets' office this morning and Angela was pissed that Sweets was still fishing for information, but she was more pissed that he had upset Brennan. Booth and Brennan both jumped and looked around at Angela's voice, spotting her and Sweets and frowning when they realized that he had been spying on them. He could feel himself flushing. _Man, his day was just getting better and better._ Booth motioned them into the office. Angela bounced in happily. Sweets shuffled in like he was going to his own execution.

"Did you need something, Sweets?" Booth asked him with a look that said he'd better not. Sweets gulped but a man had to do what a man had to do, he told himself. He scratched his head and cleared his throat.

"Um, yeah, um, actually I was hoping to speak to Dr. Brennan alone." He finally got himself under control and stopped fidgeting, raising his head to look Booth directly in the eye. Booth and Angela answered simultaneously before Brennan could.

"No." Brennan grinned at both of them and then turned to Sweets.

"Sweets, whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of Angela and Booth or not at all." Brennan's voice was calm but Sweets could tell she was still pissed about this morning. He debated. He really wanted to speak to her alone, but that was obviously not going to happen. _Fine. He'd do it her way_.

"Dr. Brennan, I wanted to apologize for my behavior this morning. I shouldn't have pushed you like that and I am sorry." She nodded her head regally in acceptance of the apology while Angela and Booth snickered. Brennan smirked at Booth.

"See, Booth, I told you that it wouldn't take him that long to get it through his thick skull that I didn't need to talk to him about me and Angela." Sweets rolled his eyes. That was patently a Booth rather than a Brennan statement and it was so wrong that he couldn't not correct it.

"That's not what I said, Dr. Brennan." Sweets said mildly. Brennan looked puzzled. "I said that I was sorry for pushing you this morning. I feel, strongly, that you need to discuss your past and present relationship with Angela…" He was interrupted by an angry Angela.

"What part of it's none of your business don't you get, Sweets?" she crossed her arms over her chest and stared him down. He planted his hands on his hips and glared right back at her.

"Angela, if you can honestly tell me that whatever past that you two," he pointed between Brennan and Angela, "have together has absolutely no bearing on any of your current issues, I will never ask again." Angela's eyes dropped and she stayed quiet. Sweets turned back to Brennan. "Dr. Brennan, I will stop asking you about it, but, please, for your own benefit think about talking to a professional about it. If that can't be me, I'll be happy to give you a list of names of qualified therapists." He turned to leave, but turned back at the door. "Dr. Brennan, I can help you, if you'll just let me. Angela, if you ever need to talk, you know where to find me." A slightly uncomfortable silence descended on the room after his departure. Angela looked at Brennan speculatively.

"Do you think he's right, Bren?" With a sigh, Brennan crossed her arms on her desk and laid her head down on them.

"I don't know, Ange, but if you want me to think about it, I will." Angela tilted her head thoughtfully.

"Ok, we'll both think about it." Brennan groaned as Angela walked out of the room. _Just what she needed, more face time with Sweets_.

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Booth was sitting in his office doing extremely boring paperwork when his phone indicated that he had a text message. More than ready for a break, he reached for his phone and flipped it open. It was from Bones. That was weird, she never sent him texts. Curious, he read the message and was on his way out the door already speed dialing her when he saw the one word message. HELP!!

"Brennan," she answered.

"Bones, what's wrong?" She didn't sound hurt of scared.

"I don't know, Booth. I'm helping Angela with some stuff for the wedding."

"Bones, is something wrong?"

"Well, Booth, if it's that important, I'll be right there." Pulling his phone away from his ear, he frowned at it. _Were they having the same conversation?_ Before he could ask her just that, he heard her struggling with someone for possession of the phone. Angela won the tug of war.

"Nice try, Booth, but the only thing that's going to get her out of this office today is a case. Bye now." _Ah, now he understood_. Brennan was being tortured with wedding plans and she wanted him to get her out of it. They didn't have a case and he racked his brain for another way to get her out of the office. Angela would be mad if he did, but Brennan would be pissed if he didn't and he did spend his nights with Brennan. He was sure that she would properly show her appreciation tonight. Grinning with the glimmer of a plan Booth picked up the phone.

"Caroline, Booth here."

"Hello, Cherie. What can I do for you?"

"Could we move that meeting we have scheduled for Friday up to this afternoon?" He turned on the charm. He knew that she had a soft spot for him and this was for a good cause, he told himself.

"Now, why would I want to do that?" she asked suspiciously

"Because I asked you to." The charm was dialed up fully.

"Uh huh, not good enough. I need a real reason." Booth couldn't see an option other than the truth.

"Fine. I need to get Bones out of her office this afternoon and we don't have a case."

"And just why can't Miss Genius get herself out of the office this afternoon?"

"Because Angela won't let her leave, Caroline."

"Seeley Booth, it sounded like you just told me that one of your squints is holding your favorite squint hostage. Is that right?" She sounded scandalized as if she expected to see that exact story leading the six o'clock news report.

"Not exactly." Caroline heaved a sigh.

"Booth," she snapped, "If you want my help, you better start talking fast."

"Fine. Bones and Angela are making wedding plans…"

"What?! Bone lady is getting married? Booth, why didn't you tell me?" She sounded hurt. Booth could hear the speculation in her voice and hurried to correct her mistaken impression.

"NO, Caroline, Bones isn't getting married. Angela and Hodgins are," Caroline snorted. "But Angela is making Bones help her with every detail of the wedding and it makes her crazy and she, in turn, makes me crazy. So, do it for me, Caroline, please?"

"Seeley Booth, I can see that puppy dog look over the phone. You know, I would almost pay good money to watch your lady genius make wedding plans, but since you asked so nicely, I can clear my schedule for the afternoon, but you owe me big for this, Booth."

"Yes, maam." Before she hung up, he had to deliver his last request. "Caroline, you'll have to call Bones and act like this was all your idea," he cajoled.

"Why?" she demanded.

"Because, if I make the call, Angela will never believe it. Please, Caroline."

"Fine, Booth. Did anyone ever tell you that you're a whole heap of trouble?" Booth chuckled. Brennan told him that frequently only in not so nice words.

"Thanks, Caroline." Reaching for his phone, he sent a text. Help is on the way.

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Angela wasn't happy, but she couldn't refuse to let Brennan go to a meeting with Caroline, so she gave in gracefully. Brennan wanted to help Angela with the wedding, but Angela wouldn't let her help with just a few things or even a few things at once. She inundated Brennan with every detail and then started firing questions at her. Brennan felt like she was failing a test and it made her tense and irritable and, unfortunately, Booth caught the brunt of that. They would both be glad when this wedding was over. She happily left the Jeffersonian with Booth an hour later and spent 15 minutes showing her appreciation by making out with him in the SUV before they headed to Caroline's office. She was very, very appreciative when they got home that night. So appreciative, in fact, that Booth started to think that maybe he wouldn't be so glad when the wedding was over.

By late the next afternoon, he thought that God was punishing him for his deception of the previous day. It had started off a good day, a great day in fact. He had woken with Brennan already awake, nibbling on his neck and ear, with her hands already roaming all over him. He was ready for her the moment he came fully awake, but, no, he had to take things slow, rolling her over and stripping her. Kissing and licking his way down her body then flipping her over and working in reverse and just as he had been about to slide home, they had been called out to a scene. They'd had to leave immediately and unable to finish what they had started. She had made him crazy all day.

Right now, he was sitting on a stool on the platform while she examined the remains from this morning, staring at her and indulging his fantasies of stripping her right on the platform and bending her over the table. Every time she bent over the table, he had to swallow a groan and shift his position. For about the hundredth time this evening, she threw him a saucy smile over her shoulder, but paused when she caught sight of his face. She stripped off her gloves, walked over, took his hand and led him to her office, shutting the door behind them. When she turned back around, she was already in his arms with his lips on hers. She slid her arms around his neck and opened her mouth under his. The kiss immediately caught fire and his hands went to her hips, grinding himself against her. His hands were reaching for buttons when she stopped him.

"Booth, I have to get back to the body." He whimpered. She patted his back soothingly. Or it would have been soothing if her breasts hadn't been crushed against his chest.

"I know. But, I don't have to like it." He groused. He rested his forehead against hers.

"Why don't you go home and relax?" she encouraged. She knew that she'd been a little hard on him today.

"What? Are you trying to get rid of me?" He pulled her closer and leaned down to string kisses along the side of her neck.

"Not at all, but I can finish here a lot faster if you're not distracting me." His head jerked up and he looked shocked.

"Me? Distracting you? You're the one who's been teasing me all day." She grinned and nodded.

"Yes, and it's very distracting." He gave a rueful smile at her honesty.

"Ok, I'll go home." She pulled his head down and gave him a kiss that made his toes curl then pushed him away before she lost all sense of decorum and dragged him over to the sofa.

"I'll be done here in a couple of hours." She walked back to the platform aware that his eyes never left her swinging rear end.

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Booth stood beneath the warm spray of the shower, his left arm extended bracing him against the wall, forehead resting on his arm. It had been a long, hard day. A very, very hard day. He and Brennan had been in the middle of some very passionate love making this morning when they were interrupted by a call requesting their presence at a crime scene. They had no choice but to get dressed and go. They had been at the crime scene for hours, Bones collecting the, well, bones and him interviewing witnesses. That's where the long part of the day came in. That's also where the very, very hard part of the day came in. Actually, the hard part came in wherever and whenever he had seen, heard or touched Brennan today.

Despite their rush to dress and get to the crime scene this morning, he had still been hard as a rock when they left the apartment, his erection barely subsiding on the 30 minute drive to the crime scene. It didn't help that Brennan kept running her hand up and down the inside of his thigh coming very close to but not touching that erection until he had finally begged her to stop in self preservation. She had tortured him all day. Whenever she saw him watching her and she had to bend over, she made sure that her ass was in the air wiggling slightly to draw attention to her curves. Or she bent so that the neck of her shirt gaped open and he could get a clear of those perfect breasts that excited him so much.

After a while of this, she didn't have to even do anything, just catching sight of her made him stand at attention and he'd have to turn away with another aching hard on. On the way from the crime scene to the Jeffersonian, she had undone three more buttons than normal on her blouse and spread it open, displaying a great deal of cleavage as well as her lacy pink bra. She had then started running the tips of the fingers of her right hand from her neck to that spectacular cleavage and back. He had almost run them off the road enjoying the show. When she saw how dangerous it was to distract him that way, she had sighed, done up her shirt and behaved herself.

By then it didn't matter. Just the thought of what he wanted to do to her kept him hard for the rest of the day. It couldn't possibly be good for you to have and unrelieved hard on for 9 1/2 hours he told himself, checking his waterproof watch. He knew that Brennan would take very good care of him when she got home, but he didn't expect her for at least another couple of hours and he was in pain. He couldn't wait, he decided, reaching down and wrapping his fingers tightly around his aching cock.

After all those hours of being hard, it was so sensitive that this slight pressure caused him to release his breath in a hiss. Closing his eyes, he began to slowly stroke himself from tip to base, each long, firm stroke forcing a grunt past his lips. He was losing himself in the pleasure radiating from his groin, not really close to coming yet, just savoring the sensation when a sound on the other side of the clear shower curtain brought his head snapping up. Brennan, stripped down to her underwear, stood there, her eyes glued to the hand moving on his cock. His movements immediately stilled and her eyes flew to his. Without a word, she unclasped and dropped her bra, peeled off her panties and joined him in the shower.

"Hi," she said, standing on tiptoe giving him a light kiss on the mouth.

"Hi, yourself," he responded, returning and deepening the kiss. "I wasn't expecting you this soon."

"I could tell." She glanced down at the hard cock pressing into her soft abdomen. Booth could feel himself flushing. Although she sometimes touched herself in front of him, he had never reciprocated and he was a little embarrassed at having been caught with his hand in the cookie jar or around his cock as the case may be. He pulled her more snugly against him and took her mouth in a searing kiss, his tongue sweeping in and plundering. She moaned and pressed herself against him, wrapping her arms around his neck and plunging her tongue into his mouth. _God, he was in pain. He was so ready for this that he couldn't wait._ Both of his hands went to her ass, ready to lift and firmly seat her on his throbbing length when she pulled back and looked up at him with mischief filled eyes, shaking her head. He almost whimpered. Both of her hands were on his chest, fingertips lightly feathering along the well defined muscles, until she reached his nipples. She simultaneously took them between her forefingers and thumbs and rolled, pinching lightly. His breath escaped in a heated moan as his hips thrust forward jamming his hardness into her soft belly. Looked like she wasn't thorough torturing him quite yet.

"Bones, Baby, I've been hard all day. I need some relief," he begged.

"You don't need me for that, Booth. You were taking care of it when I came in. So, go ahead and finish." She was grazing the hard tips of her breasts against his chest and it took a moment for her words to penetrate the lust. When they did, he was scandalized.

"Um, Bones, that's kind of your job." He was definitely flushing now. His hands had moved to her breasts, lifting, shaping, gently kneading the firm milky globes and lightly plucking the dark pink areolas. Her nails were lightly scraping across his chest and abdomen, causing the muscles to clench.

"Booth, masturbation is perfectly normal. Everyone does it." He tipped up her face with a fist under her chin.

"Baby, guys only do it when they don't have a choice."

"So, pretend that you're alone."

"Why?" he whined.

"Because I want you to." He looked at her suspiciously and suddenly realized that she had been turned on, very turned on, by the sight of him jerking off. She took his hand and tried to direct it toward his cock, but he still resisted. She looked up at him with sultry eyes and a pleading expression and he knew that he was lost. But, he wanted to see what she would use to persuade him so he kept that to himself. "Booth, does it turn you on when I touch myself?" _God, yes, it turned him on. It made him crazy and she knew it_. She was now rubbing her hardened nipples firmly against his chest and her hands had gone to his ass, gripping tightly and moving him against her in a rhythmic motion.

He felt like the top of his head was going to blow off soon. Right now he didn't really care what method was used to reach orgasm, he just wanted to come. This time when her small hand reached for his larger one, he allowed her to guide it down and wrap his fingers around his almost painful erection. She wrapped both of her hands around his and watched as she guided him to give three firm jerks on his cock. She shuddered and bit her lip, breath catching and eyes drifting shut. Booth almost came then and there. And, God, he wanted nothing more, but after seeing how much this turned her on, he was determined to make it last as long as he could. She pulled him down and gave him a tongue thrusting kiss that curled his toes, then pushed him back slightly. Removing her hands, she whispered, "Show me," and focused her full attention on his hand movements.

Booth reached out with his free hand, took one of her small hands and placed it on her breast, guiding the other to her lower abdomen pointing in the direction he knew it would soon be going. She looked at him questioningly. "Tit for tat," he bargained. She nodded her agreement and brought both hands up to cup her breasts and lightly pinching at her own nipples. They both groaned loudly.

She had been just as turned on all day as Booth. Teasing him made her hot and wet and she had walked around in soaked panties most of the day. When she had walked into the bathroom and seen him touching himself, it had sent throbbing need spiraling through her body, leaving her dripping wet and almost panting for breath. Seeing his big hand wrapped around his erection just made the throbbing worse. Brennan knew that it would be over for her almost as soon as she slipped her hand between her legs and she wanted them to come together.

Seeing Brennan's hands running over her own body, pleasuring herself just did something to Booth. He watched her hands knead her breasts and pinch her nipples and felt his cock pulsate in his hand. Keeping his eyes locked on the movements of her hands, he began to stroke himself. It was a battle to keep his eyes open and he knew that no matter how much his mind might want to prolong this, his body was screaming for release. He reached out and grabbed one of her hands, insistently pushing it down between her legs. Her startled gaze flew up to his, then she gave him a seductive smile and obeyed his silent command, slipping her fingers through her own moisture and grazing that little nub of pure sensation. Her eyes snapped closed, her head fell back and her hips began to buck against her hand as she slipped two fingers inside her slick channel. Booth growled low in his throat, his grip tightening on his cock.

Brennan's eyes flew open and she watched as his strokes got faster and harder, his hips also thrusting forward as he felt a familiar tightening in his groin signaling his release. Brennan was also poised on the edge. Just as Booth's body tensed and he called her name, spurting semen on her abdomen, she increase the pressure and rhythm on her clit and followed him over the edge, her own orgasm so strong that she barely remained standing. Booth stepped forward extending his arms on either side of her and trapping her against the wall. He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. Quickly finishing their shower, they dried each other off amid kisses and caresses and headed off to bed for round two.


	28. Chapter 28

**I know I promised someone gratuitous sex. I think it was in my other story, but what the hell; these people deserve some sex, too. Thanks for reading and please review.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. **

Brennan sat in her office, biting her lip and debating whether she should do what she was contemplating or not. But she was not a woman who took forever to make up her mind and when she made a decision, she took action. She reached out a shaking hand and picked up the phone. Five minutes later, she was standing in Angela's office. Angela glanced up and smiled when she saw Brennan standing there looking nervous.

"So, what did you decide?" Angela had come to Brennan an hour ago and told her that she had been thinking about what Sweets had said about talking to someone and that as much as she hated to admit it, she thought he was right. They did need to talk to someone. _As a couple_ she had added laughingly. Brennan had also been thinking about the suggestion. As much as she didn't believe that psychology was a real science and she wasn't convinced that it actually helped anyone, if Angela wanted them to talk to someone together she would. Just not Sweets. She just couldn't get to a place where she was comfortable with that thought.

"Ok, I'll do it. But, Ange," she was cut off when Angela squealed, jumped from her seat and rushed over to hug her tightly. Brennan returned the hug and had to smile at Angela's antics. "Not Sweets, Ange." Angela regarded her for only a moment before agreeing.

"So who, if not Sweets?"

"I have an idea." Angela's eyes narrowed and she eyed her friend speculatively.

"Who, Bren?"

"Ange, do you trust me?"

"With my life." Angela answered without hesitation and Brennan beamed at her.

"Then, I need you to trust me on this." Again, Angela didn't hesitate.

"Done."

"We have an appointment in two hours. Do you have time to go then?"

"I'll make time, Bren."

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Two hours later, Angela was shooting Brennan one curious glance after another, as she was being led into an apartment building. It was a very nice apartment building, it was just that Angela was expecting a more professional setting for a, well, professional head shrink. She had to admit that she was more than a little nervous about talking to some stranger about the secrets she had hidden for so long. But, after talking things out with Bren, they were more solid than ever, she and Hodgins were getting married and she was truly happy. Happier than she had been since she was a teenager. She didn't want to take any chances on that being ruined, especially by herself.

Brennan was getting more and more nervous. Maybe she should just have explained her idea to Angela rather than dragging her here to surprise her. And Angela would be surprised, Brennan had no doubt of that. She just hoped that she wasn't angry when she found out that Brennan did still have some secrets. This was the only person, other than Booth, Angela and Hodgins, that Brennan would even consider discussing her past with and she hoped that Angela could accept that, Brennan thought as she led Angela down a familiar corridor. Stopping in front of a door, she turned to Angela.

"Ange, if you don't want to do this, I'll understand." Angela was puzzled by Brennan's nervousness, but understood instantly as the door was opened before they could even knock. Her eyes widened and both hands flew to her mouth to cover a gasp of shock. She looked into twinkling green eyes and a charming smile and suddenly a lot of things about Bren over the last few years made more sense. She didn't even have to consider, she turned to Brennan with a wide smile and held out her hand.

"Let's do this." Brennan looked relieved and grinned back at Angela. Placing her hand in Angela's, they turned back to the door. It opened wider and they stepped inside.

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Booth looked down at the ravishing creature beside him and smiled. She propped her hand on her fist and fluttered her lashes at him, giving him such an openly sensual look that he felt himself flushing. He was leaning toward her to take her up on the promises conveyed in that look when he was distracted by the laughter of Hodgins and Angela. Throwing the two a sheepish grin, he leaned down and whispered admonishingly in Brennan's ear.

"Behave yourself." She fluttered her lashes again and whispered back.

"Why?" _Because they were in a restaurant. Because their best friends were seated across from them watching the exchange with interest. Because it made him crazy when she flirted with him like that. Because, if she kept it up, it would be a long time before he could walk out of here without embarrassment. Take your pick._ He chose one that actually might work.

"Because, if you don't, you're not going to be finishing your dinner." The semi threat brought a wicked gleam to her eyes and she leaned closer.

"Really?" she purred, her warm breath puffing against his ear. Booth was about to excuse them from the table when Angela came to his assistance.

"Bren, leave him alone. You can play with Booth when you get home. We're supposed to be having dinner and talking about the wedding." Angela's voice was full of laughter. Booth was grateful for the assist, as Brennan shot him one last sultry glance then straightened and went right back to her conversation with Angela as if it had never been interrupted for a little Booth torment. Booth straightened and looked directly into the laughing eyes of Jack Hodgins. The two men had become close friends in an astonishingly short period of time and had developed their own silent man language. It came into play now.

Booth's eyes said, _Hey, it's not funny. I've got problems_. Hodgins answered with an eye roll and, _Yeah, dude, everyone should be lucky enough to have problems like that_. Booth completely agreed and they shared a grin of male bonding. And Booth did feel lucky and very, very happy. He was lucky to be sitting in a nice restaurant, with the woman he loved and good friends. He was lucky to have a son as wonderful as Parker. He was lucky to have a job that was fulfilling on a personal and professional level with the perfect partner. Yeah, he was very happy now, but it had been kind of rough there for a couple of weeks.

Six weeks ago, Brennan had come home one night and told him that she and Angela were now seeing someone who could help them work through their pasts. That had pretty much been it as far as information sharing went and Booth hadn't wanted to push because he could see that she was upset. He had wondered who they had decided to entrust with their secrets, but decided it didn't matter as long as they talked to somebody. He had become more and more curious about the identity of this mystery counselor as he began to notice subtle changes in Brennan's behavior.

He had been surprised to hear her laughing at a joke he didn't think she would get. He and everyone else had been astonished when they had arrived at a crime scene to find that a new field tech had improperly secured evidence and she didn't kill him on the spot. As Booth stood wincing in sympathy at the tech's coming humiliation and the other techs gathered to watch the show, Brennan had pulled him aside and patiently explained the error in his collection method and the correct procedure with scientific rationale, then sent him on his way. The other techs had made jokes about pod people, but the newbie told them to shut up and get to work. Bones had a new fan.

After that, Booth had begun to watch her even more closely and saw that it wasn't just Brennan's behavior that was changing, it was Brennan herself. When she looked at people now, she wasn't studying them with an analytical gaze, it was almost as if she could see straight into their hearts, and people responded positively to that. Their behavior toward her changed drastically. And this filled Booth with a sense of panic. _If she was able to deal with the world around her on her own, what would she need him for?_ He was so outraged that the unnamed psychologist was changing his Bones that he wanted to demand a name, hunt the guy down, punch him in the face and tell him to STOP! _His Bones was perfect the way she was and he didn't want her to change._ He walked around in a funk for days, until he had an epiphany. He was being a selfish jerk because he was jealous. Whoever this guy was, he had been able to do in mere weeks what Booth had been trying to do since he and Brennan met. Get her to open up to herself and the world around her.

Over the next couple of weeks, he found himself constantly fighting the jealousy and insecurity of wondering when she wouldn't need him anymore. He watched as her grad students flocked to her in droves responding to the new warmth and patience she was displaying. Hell, she hadn't yelled at anyone in weeks, not even him when he was actually trying to piss her off. Everywhere they went, men were falling all over themselves to get an introduction and many asked her out on the spot. She always politely declined and never showed an interest in anyone but Booth still wanted to reach for his gun. Even the damn perps they brought in and questioned together flirted with her. Booth actually found himself fantasizing about her shooting someone so that he could rush in and save her and told himself that this had to stop. He had thought he was doing a good job of hiding all these roiling emotions from Brennan, until he got home that night.

He walked into her apartment tired after a long day and depressed over his earlier thoughts. As soon as he opened the door, the tantalizing scent of her macaroni and cheese wafted over him, perking him up a bit. Hanging up his jacket, he called out teasingly, "Honey, I'm home."

"Hi," came the sultry response from directly behind him. Turning with a grin, his eyes widened and he almost swallowed his tongue. She stood in front of him in the same outfit she had worn that night at the club, stockings and heels included, Booth noted as his eyes did a slow survey. The dress molded itself to her breasts and the short skirt showed what seemed like miles of slender toned legs. The sight before him really perked him up. But the memory of what they had done outside the club really, really perked him up and he had to swallow hard before he could even answer her.

"Hi," he answered as she stepped up to him, her body flush with his, and ran her hands up his chest to wrap around his neck. His arms automatically went around her waist pulling her even closer. "What's the special occasion?" he indicated the way she was dressed with a sweep of his eyes.

"No special occasion. I just felt like dressing up." _Uh huh. His Bones had put on what she referred to as modern torture devises (the shoes) because she had felt like it. Nope, he wasn't buying that one. _His thoughts scattered as she pulled his head down to meet her ascending lips, using them to part his and teasingly flicking her tongue into his mouth then just as quickly withdrawing it. He growled and pulled her closer just as the oven timer went off. He reluctantly released her to rescue their dinner and followed her to the kitchen, his eyebrows lifting when he caught sight of the table. It was set with the good china, wineglasses and candles. _What was she up to?_ She turned to smile at him after turning off the oven and he didn't care what she was up to, this was turning into a great night and they were going to enjoy it. Returning the smile, he offered to get the wine or carry the mac and cheese to the table. She told him to grab the wine. Their conversation at dinner was light and teasing. They talked of everything but work and both had more wine than usual. Then they retired to the living room sofa and things really perked up.

Booth took his usual spot in the middle of the sofa, propping his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. This didn't even earn him the usual frown. She sat down beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder and placing her hand on his stomach. He put his arm around her shoulders, sighing in contentment.

"Are you ready to tell me what's going on now?" He felt her shrug and then give a long sigh.

"I guess I just wanted you to have a special night." His feet hit the floor and he leaned up to look down into her face.

"Bones, what are you talking about?"

"Booth, you've been upset for weeks now and I'm starting to think that it's me and I wanted to do something special for you." Damn. Here he had thought that he was hiding his agitation from her so well. Not only was he not hiding it, she thought that she was somehow at fault. That really made him feel like crap and decide that he just needed to come clean with her.

"Baby," he tenderly cupped her cheek and looked into her apprehensive blue eyes, "you have done nothing wrong. I love you, Bones. I love everything about you and I could never be upset with you the way that you're thinking." That had just slipped out. He had actually meant to tell her what was upsetting him but he meant every word he'd just uttered and he wasn't about to take them back. He saw her eyes widen and fill with tears and started to panic. _Oh, God, had he just ruined everything? Maybe she wasn't ready to hear that he loved her yet._ Her response stopped the panic train and his heart.

"I love you, too, Booth." His heart restarted and thumped loudly against his ribs. He simply stared at her a moment before a huge, happy smile split his face. She smiled back. Before she could say another word, he was devouring her lips, kissing her like a starving, desperate man and pulling her around to straddle his lap. They both groaned as she settled fully against his erection, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck pressing herself against his chest, returning his kiss with abandon.

His hands moved from her shoulders sliding slowly over her back, exposed by the dress, reveling in the feel of all that soft, silky skin under his fingertips, drifting across the outside curve of her hips and stroking along the outside of her thighs. Reaching his objective (aka the hem of her skirt), his hands slid underneath and smoothed along the backs of her thighs, feeling the slick silk of her stockings and the straps of the garter where they met smooth, warm flesh, upward where they encountered…..more smooth, warm, naked flesh. _She had been sitting at the table eating mac and cheese with him for an hour dressed in a garter belt, silk stockings, 3 inch stilettos and no panties,_ he thought in shock. His hard on pulsed at the thought and Cavie roared to life.

_Damn, Booth, if that isn't every man's fantasy, I don't know what is. That is one hot woman you've got there. _ When Cavie was right, he was very right. Booth's hands smoothed over the smooth, firm globes of Brennan's bare bottom, clenching involuntarily and sliding her along his erection when her teeth nipped at a certain spot on his neck. She whimpered into his throat and her hands reached for his shirt, frantically undoing buttons. Brennan had never been this turned on in her life, not even with Booth. Maybe it was their mutual declarations of love, maybe it was something else. Whatever was responsible, she liked it. Her nipples were pinpoints of sensation, sending a pulse rushing between her legs with every glance against his hard chest. His hands kneading the cheeks of her ass and rubbing her along the length of his heavy erection, glancing her clit, flooding her with moisture and increasing the throbbing ache tenfold.

_Hey, Booth, what the hell are you waiting for? Just unzip your pants and slide right in. Come on, you know you want to._ Hell, yes, he wanted to do exactly that. He had never been so turned on so fast in his life. Their sex life was already mind blowingly great, but hearing those three little words uttered by her had awoken something primitive in him, something telling him to lay claim what was his. Cavie. And right now Cavie was bombarding him with ideas. His head fell back, eyes closed, biting his lip, fighting to resist the urges Cavie was putting into his head.

Brennan reached up and unclasped the halter collar of her dress, pushing it down around her waist. She spread the unbuttoned edges of Booth's shirt apart and leaned forward to graze the hard points of her nipples against his chest. And Booth came alive as if he had been touched by a live wire. Her hands locked around his neck to maintain her balance as he suddenly leaned forward to shrug off and discard his shirt, leaving her leaning backwards in an almost prone position. His eyes fastened on the milky globes of her breasts and he lost the fight with Cavie in that instant.

One big hand went to the middle of her back, arching her toward him as his lips and teeth attached themselves to her nipple. His other hand moved down toward the zipper of his pants but got distracted when it brushed against her wet folds. His mouth moved to her other breast, sucking the nipple deeply into his mouth. Her head fell back and a breathy moan escaped, her hips pumping against him, trapping his hand and rubbing it along his already aching erection. Booth's stomach muscles clenched as he felt a drop of moisture appear at the tip of his penis.

Cavie was begging now and Booth decided that everyone should get to come out and play sometimes. He quickly undid his zipper and freed himself from his underwear, so hard that he shivered from the friction of the cloth and his own touch. He sat back up just as Brennan realized that she was coating his bare penis with her juices, her hands still locked around his neck. She slowly raised her head and pulled herself up to a sitting position. His hands went to her hips as they rose until he could feel the tip of his erection probing her entrance. It took every ounce of self control he possessed to keep from simply tightening his hands and firmly seating her on his aching hardness, but he managed to resist. Cavie was not a happy camper. Brennan leaned forward and kissed him tenderly.

"I love you, Booth."

"I love you, too, B…ah," His voice broke as she slid down on him, enveloping his length in one smooth stroke. They both gasped and panted as she leaned her forehead against his before tightening her thighs, lifting herself almost off of him and returning with a little more force. Booths hands tightened on her hips and he assisted her with the next thrust, with his hips as well as his hands, while his mouth ate at hers, teeth nipping and tongue thrusting.

Booth was lost to everything but the sensation of being surrounded by all that warm, wet tightness. The walls dragging at his sensitive flesh with every stroke, making it difficult to hold off his impending orgasm. One hand found its way between her legs and began to stroke the distended clit he found there like he meant business. Brennan gave a stifled scream and increased the speed and force of her movements. She was driving them both toward a release they craved too quickly for either to brace for the impact. She stiffened and cried out his name as the force of her orgasm washed over her with the strength of a Tsunami. His hands tightened on her hips and continued moving her up and down as hearing her call out his name in that tone of wonder and feeling the rhythmic clenching of her inner walls sent him over the edge. He saw stars behind his closed eyelids as he felt like he emptied his very soul into her willing body. They had stayed on the couch for a while, talking, touching and kissing softly, then Booth had carried her to bed and they had shown each other that they could absolutely rely on each other's love, trust and devotion over and over again throughout the night.

Booth came back to the present with a start as he felt a small hand settle on his inner thigh and start to smooth up and down. He gave her a warning look and received an innocent stare in return. He placed his hand over hers to hold it still and shifted in his seat. They really needed to get out of here.

"Angela, what else can you possibly need to discuss about the wedding?" She had talked of nothing else for over two months now, carrying around an armload of bridal books and samples for dresses and driving Brennan insane for her input. Brennan shot him a sympathetic look and he wondered why until he saw the look Angela turned on him.

"Seeley Booth, my wedding is in two weeks. Everything, _and I mean everything,_ will be perfect and if that means that you and Jack have to come out of the man cave and listen to a few details then you can just suck it up and listen without snide comments. Got it?" By the time she was finished, she was leaning across the table giving him the evil eye. Booth was a little bit afraid of her.

"Um, sure, Ange, got it." Hodgins and Brennan both gave him nods of approval of his handling of the situation. _Wow. When had she turned into Bridezilla_? Fortunately, Angela was finished discussing the wedding, she had just wanted to make her point with Booth and the two couples parted ways shortly thereafter. Booth and Brennan were slowly making their way toward the SUV, his arms around her shoulders and hers around his waist.

"How long has she been like that?" Brennan knew he was referring to Angela but she needed clarification on something else.

"You mean crazy?" Booth was startled into laughter. This new, dry wit of Bones' showed itself at the oddest times.

"I guess that works. Does she tear into everyone like that?" Brennan rolled her eyes.

"That reaction was very mild in comparison to the one she had when she overheard the caterer calling her Godzilla." Booth's arm dropped from her shoulder as he doubled over in laughter unable to explain that the caterer had meant Bridezilla not Godzilla.

"Booth, it's really not funny. I was equally offended to hear the man refer to Angela as a fictional, scaly, green monster." She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot, but Booth was laughing too hard to notice.


	29. Chapter 29

Thanks for hanging in there with me, people. Please review. It makes Musie happy.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Four days before the wedding, Angela had a meltdown. Everyone had been halfway expecting it, with poor Hodgins running himself ragged over the last week to put out fires and avert disaster in the nick of time. He didn't make it on this one. In fact, he was the cause of this one. They had been lying in bed after making love with her head on his chest and him running his fingers through her hair when he had laughingly remarked that he would be glad when this whole mess was over with. He had looked down at her in concern when he felt her stiffen in his arms. His concern had turned to open admiration as she rose from the bed, a goddess in his eyes. The admiration morphed into confusion then shock as his sweet, little bride to be transformed into Bridezilla before his very eyes. He wouldn't have been more astonished if Godzilla had suddenly appeared in his bedroom and shook his hand. By the time she swept out of the room screaming that the wedding was off, Hodgins was speechless. He knew better than to run after her, she had threatened him with bodily harm if he did. Besides, he knew where she was going. _Should he warn them they had incoming? Nah, let them sleep until hurricane Angela hit port_.

_What the hell had just happened? _He had deduced rather quickly from all the screeching that Angela had taken offense at his, admittedly, thoughtless remark. His attempts to placate her had been less than successful with the screeching getting louder every time he tried to explain. Then she had added throwing things to her repertoire. _And she was a damn good shot_, he thought rubbing his shoulder and looking sadly at the broken statue littering the floor_. What the hell was he going to do?_ They were getting married in four days.

He wouldn't admit it under torture, but he had wanted for them to have a very private ceremony not the circus it had turned into because that's what Angela wanted. He had to squirm a little bit when he thought about his motives for wanting a small ceremony, but he admitted to himself that he didn't want a repeat of embarrassment if the second wedding didn't take place. He'd actually started having nightmares about just that in the last couple of weeks. Not that he had any doubts about them being together for the rest of their lives. He didn't. He just thought that a lot of people put too much emphasis on the wedding and not nearly enough on the marriage. The wedding was only a step you took to get where you wanted to be, in a marriage. Not that sharing these sentiments with the raging tyrant that had just stomped out of here would get him anywhere. _What the hell was he going to do? Right now he was going to flop back on the bed and give Bridezilla time to get to Brennan's before he called and woke them up,_ he decided.

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Booth wasn't sure what woke him until he heard the snick of the latch catching as the front door closed. Brennan was in his arms, so they had an intruder in the apartment. He put his hand over her mouth and quickly shook her awake. Her eyes went wide when she noticed his hand over her mouth but they both heard the intruder bump into something in the living room and she quickly caught on. He started to roll out of bed on his side and had to reach out to grab her and pull her back down as she did the same thing. He shook his head and indicated that she was to stay put with hand gestures and eye movements. Her eyes narrowed at him, but she finally nodded. He rolled out of bed, grabbed his gun from the nightstand and crept silently toward the door. The bedroom door was already open. He peered around the edge of the doorframe and saw a shadowy shape slowly feeling its way down the hall. Extending the gun at shoulder level with one arm, he smoothly stepped into the hall and reached for the light switch with the other hand.

"Freeze! FBI." The squeal let him know it was Angela before he flipped the light switch. He lowered his gun. "Angela, what the hell are you doing breaking into our apartment at 2:00 in the morning?" He verified the time by looking at his watch. Angela went quickly from looking frightened of having a gun pointed at her to leaning against the wall with her arms across her chest grinning at him.

"It's not breaking and entering if you have a key, Booth." She held up aforementioned key. "And what do you mean our apartment? You live here now?" Before Booth could open that can of worms, Brennan's head popped out the bedroom door, peering sleepily toward Angela.

"Ange, what's wrong? What are you doing here?" Angela's face fell at the sight of her friend's concerned face.

"Jack and I had a fight." Brennan nodded but didn't look that concerned. After all, even she thought that Angela had been a little difficult lately. "I called off the wedding." There was the proper level of concern that Angela was looking for. Brennan walked toward her best friend and took her arm, leading her to the living room and seating them both.

"Ange, what happened?" Booth had left his phone on the kitchen counter and it began to buzz. Brennan ignored it and concentrated her attention on Angela. She put her hand on Angela's forearm and gave it a supportive pat. Angela was chewing on her lower lip and avoiding Brennan's eyes, so Brennan sat back and waited. Booth's phone started buzzing but he loped into the room and grabbed it before Brennan could yell for him. Looking at the caller ID, he mouthed "Hodgins" toward Brennan and headed down the hall.

"What the hell did you do, Jack?" Booth didn't bother with a greeting, he just got straight to the point.

"Yes, I know what a Bridezilla is." He winced as he heard two female voices raised behind him.

"We can hear you, Booth," Brennan called.

"Yeah, and you can tell Hodgins that I AM NOT A FREAKING BRIDEZILLA!" Angela practically screamed. Covering the mouthpiece, Booth turned back to the women.

"Yeah, um, sorry, Ange," he apologized with a rueful grin and a shrug, turning back toward the bedroom. He noticed that Brennan neither confirmed nor denied Angela's statement and knew that Angela's behavior was way out of control for Brennan not to immediately jump to her defense. The squawking coming from his phone reminded him that Jack was waiting.

"Yeah, sorry, I'm back."

"Hey, man, don't yell at me. I'm not the one that called her Bridezilla." The bedroom door closing shut off the rest of his words. Brennan tied to hide a smile but Angela caught it and went into freak out mode.

"_You think this is funny?"_ she asked incredulously. Brennan immediately wiped the smile from her face and shook her head. Angela eyed her suspiciously. "Do you think that I'm Bridezilla, Bren?" Brennan took her hand and patted it.

"Ange, I really don't have an adequate basis of comparison, so I..," Recognizing that super freak out mode was fast approaching, she quickly changed her answer. "No, Angela, of course, I don't think you're Godzilla." Angela rolled her eyes and laughed, although Brennan had no idea why, but super freak out was successfully averted so she was happy. "Ange, do you want to talk about what happened with Jack?" Angela thought about it a minute, then shook her head.

"Not yet. I think maybe I freaked out and I really need to think about things. We'll talk in the morning, Ok? Can I take the spare room?"

"Of course, Ange. Let me know if you need anything or want to talk before morning." Angela hugged Brennan tightly and turned toward the spare room, then spun back.

"Oh, and Bren, we will be chatting about Booth living here now, too," she warned. Brennan nodded and went into her room feeling like a scolded child. Booth was still on the phone with Hodgins, propped up against the headboard on top of the covers. Brennan's interest was immediately drawn to his bare chest as she crawled back into bed. Booth grinned at her obvious interest, but his best friend had just, apparently, been dumped and needed to vent. He gave Brennan a helpless look and a charm smile as she scooted over and snuggled against him. She then took an interest in his conversation with Hodgins.

She poked Booth in the side and demanded, "What did he do to Angela?" Booth was very surprised that the girls hadn't discussed things but told her since he already knew. Brennan gasped in shock. "Is he stupid?" Even she knew better than to say something like that with Bridezilla, er, Angela in the room. Booth replied at the same time that she heard a shouted response from Hodgins.

"Apparently."

"NO!" Having some information to consider, Brennan now lost interest in Booth's conversation and lay back down. Within minutes, she was yawning and her eyelids began to droop. Booth leaned over to give her a goodnight kiss that got a little carried away until they both heard Hodgins shouting from the phone that Booth had dropped the moment Brennan's arms wrapped around his neck.

"Booth, please tell me that you two are not making out while I'm telling you about my fiancé dumping me. Dude, that is just wrong. Talk about adding insult to injury." With a sigh of regret, Booth dropped a quick kiss on her lips and pulled away, grabbing the phone and heading for the living room so he didn't disturb her while he listened to whatever Hodgins needed to say. Sometimes being a best friend sucked. Especially when their fiancé was Bridezilla.

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"Bren." Brennan came awake to someone shaking her shoulder lightly and whispering her name. She blinked one eye open sleepily and saw Angela bending over her, obviously trying not to wake Booth who was pressed against Brennan's back with his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Ange, what's wrong?" Angela frowned as she noticed that she had woken Booth and he was glaring up at her. _What was his problem? She's the one whose life was in ruins._

"Go back to sleep, Booth. It's only 5:30," Both occupants of the bed groaned at this information. "I need to talk to you, Bren." Brennan stifled a yawn and nodded. Angela turned to leave the room.

"Can't it wait, Ange? It's too early to get up and I can't sleep without Bones." That was very much the wrong thing to say, as Angela's mood obviously hadn't improved over the last few hours. She whirled around and marched back over to the bed, glaring down at him.

"No, Booth, it can't wait, and you're just going to have to learn to share your toys like a good little boy. I need Bren right now, so get over it." She marched out of the room. Booth was really sorry about Hodgins and Angela but, damn, a man shouldn't be harassed in his own bedroom. Unless he was being harassed by the woman sharing the bed, of course. Bones could order him around in the bedroom any time but it was just creepy for Angela to boss him around in there. Brennan rolled over to face him.

"Good morning," she whispered, kissing him lightly on the lips. When he tried to deepen the kiss, she pulled back. "Booth, I have to get up. Ange needs me." Sighing, he got one more quick peck and released his hold on her. She scrambled out of bed and headed for the door. She was back in less than 5 minutes, dressing quickly, telling him that she and Angela had to go somewhere and she would be busy all morning but the two of them could probably meet him for lunch. He shuddered at the thought. He loved Angela like a little sister, but he was pretty sure that he would be avoiding his real sister (if he had one) like the plague if she had Angela's current attitude.

"No, Baby, that's ok. You just do what you need to with little Miss Sunshine today and I'll see you tonight." She stopped in her tracks and looked at him with a frown.

"What did you call her?" _Wow_. Angela must be contagious because he hadn't seen snarky Bones in quite some time now.

"Nothing, Baby. I was just kidding." She looked at him suspiciously, then nodded and left the room. _Perfect._ Not even out of bed yet and he'd already managed to piss off two women. He just hoped his day got better and not worse.

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Although it wasn't quite six am when Angela and Brennan arrived at their destinations, the door opened immediately and they were warmly ushered inside. Angela immediately threw herself into wide open arms and began to sob. The Maestro patted her back and let her cry. He led her to the sofa, seated them both and sat quietly with her sobbing on his shoulder until her tears began to dry up.

Angela and Brennan called him the Maestro, but his real name was Christopher Murphy. He was from a small mid western town and had grown up during a time when men who danced or taught ballet had automatically been labeled as homosexual. Not that the label really bothered him. He wasn't, he just loved everything about ballet.

He had run away from and abusive home at the age of 15 and found himself in New York City. He had been awed and terrified by the sounds and sights of the city and living on the streets had been difficult and dangerous. Late one night, ousted from his usual sleeping place by a group of thugs, he had been wandering the streets, looking for a safe, warm place to bed down for the night, when he had heard classical music drifting through a propped open door. Oh, he'd had no idea then that it was classical music and he'd never seen ballet. But he saw it that night, wandering into the practice room at Juliard and he was enchanted with the grace and beauty of the dance, fascinated with the ease the dancers seemed to hold the impossible looking poses. He stood at the back of the auditorium, mesmerized until an older man had approached him. To Chris' surprise, the guy had made casual conversation and not tried to throw him out. Chris had stayed until they closed down the practice stage and left the building. But he couldn't stay away. He dreamed about ballet, not about dancing it, but about being involved in the creation of those beautiful stories in some way. He went back to the practice stage every night.

After the first week, the door was never propped open again, but the man who had approached him the first night causally asked Chris if he was coming by the next night and at what time. When Chris arrived, he was waiting to let him in, and so it continued. After that first week, Lucas (the man he met that first night) always made sure there was nutritious food waiting when Chris arrived and when it started getting cold, he urged him to go to one of the shelters available in the city, but Chris was afraid that if he did that he would be sent home and he was never going back there.

So, he stayed on the street in the deadly cold of a New York winter and he got sick. He continued his nightly visits to Juliard where warm, new clothing seemed to magically appear. Lucas always said that a visitor to the school had left the items and wouldn't be returning for them, but Chris knew better and he was grateful. Lucas was concerned when Chris developed a persistent cough and offered to get the staff physician to take a look at him, but Chris refused because he had an irrational fear of doctors.

One night, he was so tired that he could barely put one foot in front of the other and his chest hurt with each breath. Lucas took one look at him and immediately called the staff physician who diagnosed him with pneumonia. Chris had insisted that he was fine and tried to leave but had collapsed before he could get to the door. He had awoken two days later in bed in one of the currently empty staff rooms provided by the school. Lucas was sitting at his bedside and when Chris weakly insisted that he should leave the school, Lucas bluntly told him that if he went back out on the streets right now, he would be dead within the week. He said that he had made arrangements for Chris to stay at the school at least until he was well. Chris was understandably wary of the offer, but he was too tired and sick to leave on his own, so he stayed.

Actually, he never left. He was young and strong and recovered quickly. Lucas dropped by several times a day to see him and brought him books on a myriad of subjects to occupy his time. Chris found himself reading about everything from art to Greek mythology and his brain soaked up all this information like a sponge. He and Lucas began to have discussions every evening about whatever Chris had read that day and soon other instructors began coming to visit a swiftly recovering Chris, finding him bright and charming. He became a class project for the instructors who banded together and came up with a plan to save this boy from a life on the streets.

They went to the administrator of the school and demanded that he offer Chris a job with room and board. The administrator scoffed at the idea of inviting a street kid into the hallowed halls of their institution until he glanced around and knew he would have a mutiny on his hands if he didn't do as requested. So, Chris officially became an employee of Juliard. It was a job in name only. His days were strictly scheduled and he spent time with many different people learning what they had to teach him. And the knowledge and life experiences that these people held as a whole was indescribable. They told Chris that he could do whatever he chose with his life so many times that he finally began to believe them and then he made his choice. Ballet.

He began to study under Lucas and just learned then that he was one of the best ballet teachers in the world. Chris spent countless hours with Lucas, watching and memorizing his every move. He spent many hours just observing the dancers and soon was able to tell after watching someone dance only once whether they would ever make it professionally. Lucas called him a natural and taught him everything he knew. Lucas had been killed in a mugging four years later and there was never any question of who would take his place. Even after all these years, Chris thought of Lucas often and missed him every time he did. Chris' father might have given him life but Lucas had made him the man he was today. A man with the closest thing he would ever have to daughters sitting in his living room waiting for him to help them, he reminded himself with a sigh. Turning to Angela, he saw that she had dried her tears and was staring morosely at her loosely clasped hands in her lap.

"So, Angela, what did this man do to make you angry enough to call off the wedding?"

"He said that he would be glad when this whole mess was over." She answered in a monotone and the Maestro winced. _Was the guy stupid?_ Maybe not the best question to ask. Then again, maybe it was the perfect question to get to what was really bothering her.

"Is he stupid?" Angela shrugged but Brennan gave a verbal response.

"Apparently." The Maestro smothered a laugh and patted Angela's shoulder.

"Ah, well then, my dear, you obviously did the right thing." Her head jerked up, eyes wide and startled.

"What?"

"Angela, you can't possibly marry a stupid man," he gave an exaggerated shudder. Brennan was giving him a narrow eyed stare that said she was very disappointed in the way he was handling this. He turned his head and winked at her before turning back to Angela. "And what if you had stupid children?" shudder, "Angela, you would be bored out of your mind. Better that you just stay alone than marry someone like that." Angela looked at him speculatively for several moments, then dropped her eyes back to her hands.

"Jack's not stupid," she whispered. The Maestro raised a brow.

"Really? Then why did he say something like that?" She was twisting her fingers together now.

"He didn't mean it like that. I overreacted." She still didn't look up and Brennan leaned forward to get her attention.

"Why, Ange.?" She asked earnestly. Angela lifted her eyes.

"I'm scared, Bren." Brennan could see the fear in her best friends eyes and struggled to understand.

"Of what, Ange?" Brennan came over to the sofa, seated herself beside Angela and took her hand.

"What if it doesn't work out, Bren? We already blew it once, maybe we won't be any better at things this time around." She looked into Angela's eyes and the anguish she saw there was way out of proportion for the concerns she had just expressed.

"Ange, what is this really about?" Brennan's voice was pleading and she held Angela's gaze.

"What if I'm just too damaged to ever make anyone happy, Bren? What if we both are?" Angela's whispered question had Brennan's eyes widening in shock. It was a legitimate concern, her rational brain told her but her heart cried out, No, that can't be true. She brushed the hair back from Angela's face and gave her a sad smile.

"I don't know, Ange. Maybe we are damaged beyond repair, but we'll never know whether we can be happy unless we try. Hodgins loves you, Ange. Do you love him?" Angela nodded without hesitation. The Maestro decided he'd been silent long enough.

"Then that's all that really matters, Angela," he took her free hand in his. "As for you two being damaged beyond repair, that is ridiculous," both women started at his firm tone. He held out his free hand and Brennan took it. "Even when you two were just girls, you had strength, courage and tenacity. Yes, terrible things happened to you both, things that you will never forget, but those things didn't break you, they just made you stronger. Look at yourselves and tell me what you see." Brennan and Angela gave each other puzzled glances and Angela answered first.

"I see Bren." The Maestro smiled.

"I see a beautiful, young, successful, world renowned Forensic Anthropologist and Bestselling author who is happier than I have ever seen her. Temperence, you give a voice to the dead. You use your expertise to give families back their loved ones, to gain justice for the wronged. What could possibly be more noble than that? As much as you loved dancing and as spectacular as you were at it, ask yourself if you would have ever found it as fulfilling as you do the life you have now." Brennan stared at him, blinking rapidly, her mind processing what he had just said. He raised a brow and jerked his head toward Angela reminding Brennan that she had been assigned a task.

"I see Ange." The Maestro gave her hand an approving squeeze.

"I see a beautiful, young, successful woman with boundless enthuasiasm for life. Angela, you create beauty from nothing. You take paints and shapeless lumps of clay and make something beautiful, something that brightens this world and everyone who is lucky enough to see your work. You also use your skills in Brennan's quest for justice. What could be more worthy than that? When I look at the two of you together I see two young girls that clung to each other for support and love as every adult in your life either abandoned or betrayed you, but with every blow, you both got up, brushed yourselves off and moved on. You may be dented but you're certainly not broken. You have both become amazing women that I am honored to call friends and you can be happy, Angela, if you'll just let yourself. It's up to you." For just a moment after the Maestro stopped speaking, there was such a look of hope and joy on Angela's face that Brennan took heart. Then her face fell and she buried it in her hands, groaning. Brennan panicked.

"Ange, what is it?" she asked urgently. Angela's voice was muffled.

"Oh, Bren, Hodgins will never forgive me." Brennan snorted and Angela's head jerked up.

"Of course, he'll forgive you, Ange. He loves you." Angela shook her head again.

"I said some awful things to him last night, Bren." Her eyes widened and she gasped, "Oh, God, I _threw _things at him last night, Bren." Brennan's eyes widened, but the Maestro just laughed and patted Angela's shoulder.

"Then it sounds like you have some apologies to make, my dear." Angela turned hopeful eyes to him.

"Could it really be that easy?"

"Love is never easy, Angela. But, it is always worth it." Angela thought about his words, then hugged him tightly. She grabbed Brennan's arm and dragged her up, pulling her toward the door.

"Come on, Bren. I have to find Jack. I am getting married in four days, you know." Brennan threw the Maestro a smile and a wave over her shoulder and followed Angela out the door.

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Booth had a crappy day at work. He was in one meeting after another so bored that he actually wished he was having lunch with Brennan and Angela. He was very much looking forward to getting home and curling up with Brennan for a lazy night at home, but he kissed that hope goodbye when she called and told him that she had something to take care of and wouldn't be home until late. She told him that their therapist was able to convince Angela to talk to Hodgins and Booth was glad for their friends' sakes but he was really beginning to hate this miracle worker especially when Brennan had that special note of admiration in her voice when speaking of him. He was lying on the couch absently watching a baseball game on TV when she bustled in just before ten.

"Hi." She discarded her purse and headed for the kitchen. He rolled off the couch and followed her.

"Hey. How did it go with Angela."

"I don't know. I haven't seen her since this morning. I assume it went fine or she would have called me." Her head was in the fridge, muffling her words. _What?_ He had just assumed that when she said a friend asked her for a favor that she was with Angela. He leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So where were you tonight?" It wasn't that he didn't trust her, he trusted her implicitly. He was just curious.

"The Maestro asked me to help him out with something tonight, so I did." Her head was buried in the fridge and he missed the name of the friend.

"Who?" She pulled her head and a bottle of juice out of the fridge and smiled at him as she reached for a glass.

"Our therapist, Booth." Booth stiffened. _Oh, hell, no. First this guy took over his job of getting Bones in touch with her feelings and now, she was calling him a friend and spending her evenings with her therapist instead of him. NO._

"_What?"_ Booth thought his tone was quite reasonable under the circumstances. Brennan's look told him she did not agree.

"Booth, what in the world is wrong with you? I told you that I was helping out a friend." Her tone was a little strained.

"Yeah, but I thought it was Angela, not _him_." There was a wealth of disgust in Booth's voice as he practically spat out the word him.

"_What?_ Booth, what could you possibly have against him? You've never even met the man." She was incredulous. This behavior was very unlike Booth. Booth tried to clamp down on his emotions, but all the jealousy and insecurity that he had been feeling for months, ever since she started changing because of someone else and not him, bubbled to the surface.

"Oh. I don't know, Bones, maybe because Mr. Perfect seems to be taking over my place in your life." Her head jerked back as if he had struck her.

"What?" she gasped. "Booth, are you _jealous_?"

"Yeah, Bones, eaten up with it." He had stalked over to where she was standing and got into her personal space, leaning down until they were nose to nose.

"But, why?" She was very confused, he could see it in her eyes and he suddenly deflated at the sight. She didn't deserve anger or accusations, but she did deserve honesty. With a sigh, he slipped his arms around her waist and leaned his forehead against hers.

"Because he got you to open up in a few weeks in a way that I couldn't do in years, Bones. What if he "helps" you so much that you don't need me anymore? I would die of a broken heart if that ever happened. So, yeah, I'm jealous of the guy." _This was her fault_, Brennan decided. She hadn't deliberately hidden things from Booth, she just hadn't revealed all her secrets, but it was time to do that now. She hated that Booth would, even for one second, think that he hadn't helped her or that she would ever not need him. That just wasn't possible, she knew. Now, she needed to convince him of that. She tenderly cupped his face in her hands and gave him a luminous smile.

"Seeley Booth, I love you. I will always need you in my life. I'm sorry that I didn't notice that something was bothering you, but, Booth, I'm still relearning and you need to talk to me when something is on your mind." She was right, Booth knew. He should have said something a long time ago instead of letting things build to the point where he blew over something minor. She pulled his head down and kissed him tenderly then pulled back, taking his hand to lead him out of the kitchen. He was surprised when, instead of heading toward the bedroom, she turned toward the front door and grabbed her keys, releasing his hand.

"Put your shoes on, Booth. I need to show you something."

"But, Bones, it's late. Can't it wait until tomorrow?" She shook her head decisively and gave him a pleading look.

"Please, Booth. It's important." He put on his shoes and followed her out the door. She refused to tell him where they were going and he had to wait until they pulled up outside a commercial building in one of the better sections of town 20 minutes later. The building was a large two story that appeared to have been some sort of store at some point. Booth's eyes widened as he took in the lettering on large plate glass window in front. He turned to Brennan with his eyes full of questions.

"Come inside." She got out of the car and headed for the lighted front door just as a little girl about 5 barreled through the door and ran into Brennan. Brennan put her hands on the little girl's shoulders to steady her and then leaned down for a hug when she lifted her arms. It was obvious that they knew each other well. Brennan stood and ruffled the little girl's hair with an affectionate smile and spoke quietly to the woman with her. With a wave, the two turned and made their way down the sidewalk with the little girl holding her mother's hand and skipping happily along. Booth paused halfway out of the car, transfixed at the sight of Brennan's interaction with the little girl. He'd never seen her so relaxed around a child before. She was great with Parker and Parker loved her but she still got a little nervous around him sometimes. Booth already knew that she would be a great mother and he wanted to have kids with her someday, but seeing her with that little girl gave him hope that she would be willing. His heart swelled with love for the woman smiling at him from the sidewalk. She extended her hand. He took it and they walked inside.

"What is this place, Bones?" She gave him a look that he couldn't quite interpret.

"It's a dance studio, Booth." _Well, yeah, he kind of knew that from the sign on the window and all the bar thingys on the wall, but trust his Bones to take the question literally._ He had to smile.

"Good one, Bones. But I meant why are we here?" She looked at him thoughtfully before spreading out her arms to encompass the room.

"Because this, Booth, is what you gave back to me." Her eyes held gratitude and love, but he didn't get it.

"I don't understand." She sighed and pulled him over to sit in a couple of chairs in an area that he assumed was for parents to watch their children practice.

"This is my studio, Booth. I own it." His shock showed plainly on his face.

"What? Since when?" She did that little head tilt that he thought was adorable and he knew that she was calculating in her head to give him an accurate time line.

"Almost two years now." She gazed at him with a soft smile playing on her lips waiting for the next question. He reached for her hand, twining their fingers together.

"I'm sorry, Baby, but I just don't get what this has to do with me." She sighed again. This was harder than she had thought it would be.

"Booth, two years ago, the Maestro contacted me to let me know that he was retiring from Juliard and thinking of moving to Europe and opening a studio." His eyebrows rose and she answered his unspoken question. "Yes, we've kept in touch since I reconnected with Angela in college. When I thought about it I realized that I didn't want him that far away, so I offered to open this place for him." Brennan could see that Booth heard and processed her words but still didn't quite grasp her meaning. "Booth, before I met you, before you made me start seeing and caring about other people again, I would have wished the Maestro well and waved him off. But you gave me the courage and the clarity to reach out to one of the dearest people in my life. You gave me that, Booth. You, no one else, only you." Booth was flooded with so many emotions that he couldn't have said with any certainty exactly what he felt right then. Then he was hit by a thought that brought an easily identified emotion. Embarrassment.

"Wait a minute. Are you telling me that the Maestro is your therapist?" _Please say no. Come on, Bones, tell me that I didn't just make a jealous jerk of myself over someone you consider a father figure._ The saucy grin she gave him confirmed his suspicions. He groaned and covered his face with his hands. A deep, masculine chuckle coming from behind them brought his head up and around. He saw a man who appeared to be in his early fifties, with dark brown hair liberally sprinkled with gray and twinkling green eyes. He was about 5' 11" tall and held himself with an almost military bearing. When his eyes went to Brennan, they softened with so much affection that Booth instantly knew his identity. He stood at attention and held out his hand.

"Hello, sir. You must be the Maestro. I'm..," he was cut off by an infectious chuckle. The Maestro took Booth's hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Oh, I know who you are, Agent Booth. I hear about you frequently." Brennan rolled her eyes at Booth's pleased look and the Maestro's chuckles became outright laughter. "And please call me Chris. The girls are the only ones who still call me Maestro and I've been trying to get them to stop for years." His tone held parental fondness and just a hint of exasperation seeming to say, _Children will be children, but, hey, what can you do? _ Booth was able to gauge Brennan's affection for this man right then and there. If anyone else had called her a girl or used that tone of voice when referring to her, she would have verbally flayed them. She merely smiled up at the Maestro. "So, Agent Booth, would you like a tour of our humble abode?'

"Sir, please, call me Booth. And yes, I would love a tour."

"Son, you can drop the sir." Booth nodded and grinned, holding out his hand and pulling Brennan to her feet. Holding hands, they ambled through the building. Chris gave him details on the history of the building and explained the work needed to convert it into a dance studio. He then explained that for every class that they provided for paying customers, they provided one free of charge to the underprivileged and he and Brennan had worked with social services to make the free classes accessible to as many foster children as possible. Booth knew that Brennan did her fair share of good deeds, but this was amazing. Why hadn't she told him? Because she doesn't see her altruistic deeds as something to brag about, she simply sees something that needs to be done and does it, end of story, he answered his own question. He shot her a look of admiration and was struck by how relaxed she was in this place.

"Bones, do you spend a lot of time here." She shrugged and looked around, not really avoiding his eyes, but not making contact either.

"I teach a class sometimes." Chris snorted and Brennan shot him a quelling look.

"Temperence is being modest, as usual, Booth. She teaches at least two classes a week." _How did he not know about this? Where did she find the time?_

"When?" She met his eyes.

"I reduced my martial arts classes down to once a week about nine months ago." He hadn't known that either. _What the hell did he know about her? _She saw the thought cross his face as clearly as if he had spoken the words aloud. She tried to turn away so he wouldn't see her hurt, but he wouldn't release her hand. Instead, he tugged, pulling her into his arms. When she wouldn't look at him, he used one hand to tilt her chin up. Neither noticed Chris walking away to give them some privacy.

"Hey, I was just surprised. Why didn't you tell me about any of this?" She shrugged. He could appreciate that it really wasn't any of his business when it was happening, but he was a little hurt that she hadn't told him about any of it after they got together.

"I don't know, Booth. I wasn't really trying to keep it from you, it just never really came up." Ok, he could buy that. Besides, she was telling him about it now and that showed her willingness to open her life to him. He was satisfied with that. He gave her a smile sexy enough to send a shiver racing down her spine and bent to tease her lips apart. Raising his head a couple of inches, he caught and held her gaze and told her what was always in his heart.

"I love you, Bones."

"I love you, too, Booth." His mouth covered hers and he pulled her closer. Chris watched the couple fondly, smiling softly_. It's about time my little girl found some happiness. _He thought that Booth seemed like a good man, at least, Angela and Brennan sang his praises. He suddenly frowned intently. _Hey, buddy, watch those hands. Did you hear me? _ He turned away. _Damn, who would have thought this dad thing would make you think about punching an FBI agent?_


	30. Chapter 30

**This one is a little short, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Thanks for reading and please review.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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_10:00 AM the morning after the appearance of Bridezilla at Hodgins' estate_

Angela slowly walked through the mansion peering into rooms trying to locate Hodgins and wondering what she would say to him when she found him. He was in the kitchen, sitting on a stool at the counter, sipping a steaming cup of coffee and gazing into space. He didn't hear her coming in and stiffened when she slid onto the stool beside him, facing him. He slowly put down his cup of coffee and turned only his head toward her.

"Hi," she said softly with a small smile. He regarded her solemnly and she laid a hand on his forearm, partially just to touch him and partially to calm her own nerves. "I'm so sorry, Jack. I know I freaked out over nothing. I didn't mean any of the things I said and I'm sorry I hit you with the statue." He smiled at the last comment, rubbed his shoulder and turned toward her, taking both of her hands in his.

"Ange, what happened?" Her head dropped and she squeezed his hands as she whispered her answer.

"I'm scared."

"_Of me_?" he choked incredulously. Her head came up and he noted the look of surprised on her face.

"No, Jack. I could never be scared of you. I'm scared of myself." He relaxed at her words, but he was puzzled.

"I don't understand, Ange," he said simply. She sighed and gathered her thoughts, leaning forward and looking directly into his eyes.

"Jack, I'm good at living in the moment. It's what I've learned to do. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but what if I mess us up? What if I'm too damaged by my past to build a future with you? I don't think I could live with myself if I broke your heart again." The fear and pain was clear in her voice. He reached out and gently cupped her cheek, smiling at her lovingly.

"Ange, do you want to marry me?" She looked directly into his eyes and answered firmly.

"Yes, Jack, I want to be your wife, but the wedding part is scaring the crap out of me." Her mouth dropped as Hodgins dropped her hands and crossed his arms over his stomach, laughing hysterically. She jumped to her feet; hands planted firmly on hips and glared at him.

"Well, I'm glad you find me pouring out my heart to you so amusing, Jack Hodgins." She spun around to leave the room and he instantly sobered. Grabbing her arm and gently turning her back to face him, he put both hands on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Baby, but this wedding scares the crap out of me, too." Angela's stance and facial expression softened at his words. She looked at him questioningly. He drew her back to the stools and seated them both, catching both of her hands in his. "Look, Ange," he looked a little uncomfortable and she gave him an encouraging smile. "I've been having nightmares about this wedding being called off and I gotta tell you, after the first one being interrupted at the last minute, I just don't know if I could face everyone if it happened again." She reached out and cupped his cheek.

"You didn't want a big wedding, did you, Jack?" He put his hand over hers and smiled softly.

"Not really, but I would marry you anytime, anyplace because the wedding really doesn't matter." Seeing her confusion, he hastened to explain before she could get upset and they had a repeat of last night. "Ange, the wedding is a ceremony for us to declare our love in front of friends and family and that's great, but it's only one day. The marriage is what's important to me. That means that I get to spend every day of the rest of my life with you by my side, showing you and everyone else how much I love you." He sighed and swiped at the tears running down her cheeks with the thumb of his free hand. She gave him a watery smile.

"Why didn't you day something?" He shrugged.

"Because the wedding was so important to you and I wanted you to have the one of your dreams." She started laughing and he looked at her quizzically, responding to her laughter with a smile.

"Jack, I would have been happy flying to Vegas and getting hitched. I insisted on a big wedding to make up to you for the first one and then things just kind of got out of hand." She threw he hands up in defeat. "It's really turned into a circus, hasn't it?" He nodded and grinned. Suddenly her eyes rounded with horror as a hand flew to her mouth to cover a gasp. "Oh my God, I really did turn into Bridezilla, didn't I?" Hodgins couldn't stop the laughter erupting from his throat.

"Yep," he agreed through chuckles. "But that's ok. I would still love you, even if you turned into Godzilla," he assured her, pulling her into his arms and hugging her tightly. She laughed and her arms slipped around his waist hugging him just as tightly. He pulled back just far enough to see her face and tilted her chin up with one hand.

"I love you Angela Montenegro, soon to be Hodgins." Her smile was luminous.

"I love you, too, Jack Hodgins." Her arms slid from around his waist, up his chest and around his neck, pulling his head down toward her waiting lips. Just before their lips touched, she whispered happily, "We're getting married in four days." He smiled broadly at the genuine happiness and excitement in her voice.

"Yes, we certainly are getting married, but it's three days now instead of four." Her eyes rounded and he almost held his breath waiting for a reaction. She gave him a radiant smile and he knew that everything would be ok.

"Good," she whispered, "I can't wait to be your wife and start our life together." He felt the apprehension that he had been hiding over the possibility of the wedding not taking place seep out of him. They _would_ be getting married in three days, he had never been more certain of anything in his life. He leaned in the last couple of inches, kissing her tenderly. She opened her mouth and increased the pressure of the kiss. They clung to each other reaffirming their love and commitment to each other with that kiss, until Hodgins disentangled their bodies, took her hand and led her to the bedroom. They had both, independently, called into work and told Cam that something had come up with the wedding that they both had to take care of and Hodgins couldn't think of a better way to spend the rest of the day than in the arms of the love of his life. Angela agreed wholeheartedly.

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_11:00 PM that same night at Brennan's apartment_

Booth and Brennan quietly entered the apartment. They had gotten a little carried away with the making up, or rather making out, at the studio and only broken apart when Chris, after clearing his throat several times, tapped Booth on the shoulder. Much harder than necessary to get his attention. He had pleasantly offered to continue the tour but wasn't quite as friendly as he had been before and kept shooting Booth looks that he couldn't quite decipher. These looks made Booth feel like a teenager who was being sized up by a father to determine if he was good enough to date his daughter. Booth laughed internally at this thought. _He and Bones were adults and Chris wasn't her father. That couldn't possibly be it. _He changed his mind after they finished the tour and Chris shook his hand, inviting him out for a drink the next evening. _Crap, it was definitely the father interrogation_. Booth looked to Brennan for help. Surely she knew what was going on and would put a stop to it. He found Brennan smiling at Chris approvingly and she told Booth that she thought it was a great idea. Booth had no choice but to agree. There had been little conversation on the ride home with them both lost in their own thoughts. As soon as they entered the apartment, Booth decided to ask some questions and try to figure out the best way to handle the situation.

"Um, Baby. Does Chris always take the guys you're dating out for drinks?"

"I don't know, Booth. No one else that I've ever dated has been important enough to me for me to introduce them to the Maestro. Why? Don't you want to have a drink with him? Don't you like him, Booth?" Her tone had gone from calm to just a little agitated and Booth rushed to reassure her, pulling her into his arms and resting his forehead against hers.

"No, Baby, I like him and I would be happy to have a drink with him. He's important to you and that makes him important to me." She relaxed against him and slid her arms around his neck, smiling. "You do realize that he intends to interrogate me about my intentions toward you?" She snorted and gave him a look filled with amusement.

"Relax, Booth. He just wants to get to know you. He won't hurt you. He just wants me to be happy and he knows that you make me happy, so don't worry about it." Booth's heart melted at her words. She was probably right, Chris probably just wanted to get to know him better, not have the _if you hurt my daughter; I will hunt you down and kill you _talk with him. He hoped. It didn't really matter. Considering the way Brennan felt about the man, Booth would be having whatever kind of chat that Chris wanted. But that was tomorrow. Right now, he had the woman he loved in his arms and was more than ready to pick up where they had left off at the studio. He gazed into her eyes with a soft smile and tightened his arms, pulling her body flush against his. Her eyes widened when she felt how ready he was to continue with their make out session. She gave a throaty laugh that made shivers run down Booth's spine and pulled his head down to capture his lips in a passionate kiss. Booth forgot about the upcoming interrogation as he returned her kiss and slowly backed her toward the bedroom, never losing contact with her lips. He could worry about Chris tomorrow. He had much, much better things to do tonight.


	31. Chapter 31

**This one is winding down, boys and girls. So, please, please review and let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Booth walked into the neighborhood bar a few blocks from the dance studio and looked around nervously, halfway hoping that Chris was unable to get away and this little chat would be postponed. Brennan had laughed at his apprehension and sent him off with a kiss and a warning of _Be nice to him, Booth._ Booth looked around, ready to beat a swift retreat if he didn't immediately spot the man. But, no, there he was, waving his arm to get Booth's attention. With a resigned sigh, Booth walked over and shook his hand, seating himself at the table and looking in surprise at the drink that was already waiting on him. It was exactly what he would have ordered for himself and he looked at Chris in surprise. Chris grinned back at him.

"How did you know what I drink?" Booth asked suspiciously.

"Good guess? Not buying that one?" Booth shook his head. Chris looked down at his drink thoughtfully then back at Booth. "I know a lot of things about you, Booth. Temperence talks about you frequently." Chris brought his drink to his mouth to cover his smile at Booth's expression. It was obvious that Booth was concerned about just exactly what Brennan had told him. "Relax, son, she would never betray your confidences. She only tells me general stuff." That wasn't strictly true but Booth didn't need to know that, especially as antsy as he was right now. Booth relaxed, but thought that Chris knowing his favorite drink was pretty damn specific information. Chris set down his drink and pinned Booth with a level, but friendly look.

"So, Booth, tell me about yourself." Booth hated talking about himself and rarely shared more than the most basic details with anyone other than Brennan, but he had a feeling that Chris already knew that and this was some kind of test. He could feel himself getting irritated and leaned forward with a not so friendly smile.

"Why don't you just ask me whatever it is that you're fishing for, Chris?" Chris' smile widened and the gleam of approval shone from his eyes. _Good, the boy wasn't going to let him push him around. Maybe, he could even hold his own with Temperence. God knew, that he was a lightweight pushing people around compared to her, but the boy had some backbone and he would need it to stand up to his little girl. _ Booth was confused by the look of approval he was receiving from the man he had just basically challenged and leaned back in his chair studying Chris with narrowed eyes. Chris laughed outright and got down to business.

"Do you love Temperence?" Booth choked on the drink he had just taken a mouthful of. His glass hit the table with a thud. _Damn, the man went straight to the heart of the matter_. Choking episode over, Booth leaned forward and met Chris' eyes directly.

"Yes, I love her." His voice rang with sincerity and Chris was pleased with this as well as his answer. However, his Temperence could be…difficult to say the least and he needed to make sure that this man wasn't going to run from that and break his little girl's heart. He might not be able to kick Booth's butt if that happened but he knew a lot of people that owed him favors and he had no doubt that he could arrange some sort of appropriate punishment if it became necessary. But this meeting wasn't really about that. It was about sizing Booth up and making sure that he wasn't going to do anything to deserve that appropriate punishment. Chris leaned forward and the smile left his face.

"So do I and I won't see her hurt again." Booth already knew that Chris loved his Bones and she returned that love, he just hadn't expected the man to be so direct about his agenda, but found that he liked the directness. He nodded in acknowledgement of Chris' statement.

"I would never do anything to hurt Bones." Chris raised a brow and leaned even closer.

"I'm sure that's what her parents thought, too." _Now, wait a damned minute, Chris couldn't be comparing him to the people who had abandoned their own children and left Brennan broken so badly that she was still trying to recover from it, could he?_ Booth leaned forward and glared at Chris through narrowed eyes.

"I would never abandon Brennan." He growled through clenched teeth. Chris was actually impressed with the threatening look that crossed Booth's face and he had his answer. The boy planned to stick around no matter what, but Chris needed to know that he knew exactly what he would be dealing with. Not many people could handle Temperence, he needed to reassure himself that Booth could handle her and make her happy at the same time. Chris leaned back in his chair and picked up his drink.

"Temperence can be…difficult at times," he looked at Booth in surprise as the younger man threw back his head and laughed at the gross understatement.

"You mean she can be a royal pain in the butt and, believe me, I know that already." Booth assured him as he got his laughter under control. Chris had to smile at Booth's characterization. When someone was right they were right. The men shared a commiserating smile as they had both had multiple dealings with this side of the woman they were discussing. They both relaxed perceptibly.

"I need to know that I can trust you with my little girl's heart, Booth." Chris said softly and Booth's defenses instantly melted away. They both wanted the same things for the woman they loved and it would just hurt her if they didn't get along. Booth leaned forward earnestly, allowing the love and commitment he felt for Brennan to shine through in his eyes and voice.

"I would never, ever deliberately hurt her, Chris. She will be safe with me. I would die to protect her from a moment's pain." Chris believed him and Booth saw that. He also saw that he was going to have to prove it to the older man with time and he was ok with that. He planned on being around forever and if that wasn't long enough to convince Chris of his intentions, he didn't know what else to do. Booth suddenly realized that the man sitting before him was a veritable font of information on Brennan and he was hungry to know everything about her.

"Has she always been so…," his voice trailed off as he searched for the correct word. Chris leaned forward with a raised brow and a smile supplying the word he thought Booth was searching for.

"Difficult? Yep, she's always been a tad on the high maintenance side." Booth choked on his drink and laughter. Chris shrugged. The truth was the truth. "But she has a right to be." Chris continued at Booth's raised brow. "When I met Temperence, she was twelve years old, but she had a focus and drive to succeed that you don't see in many adults. She was and is, hands down, the most brilliant person that I have ever met. She's special, Booth. She's a gift to the world and she deserves to be treated like it, not hurt and betrayed by everyone that she loves." Booth was awed by the love and respect that this man held for the woman he loved, but he was confused by Chris' next words. "Even me." he whispered sadly. Booth looked at him blankly.

"I don't understand." They both grinned at the words, having heard them from Brennan countless times. Chris' grin faded to a sad smile.

"I let her down, Booth. I failed that little girl that needed someone to love her and be there for her. The biggest regret of my life is not fighting harder to become her guardian, but I didn't do it. I let that brave little girl sacrifice her happiness for mine." The pain in Chris' voice tugged at Booth's heartstrings.

"Why didn't you fight harder?" Chris gave him a look filled with self loathing.

"Because I was too stupid to know what was really important. I was feeling sorry for myself having to give up all the travel and being fawned over by Kings and Heads of State. Don't get me wrong, I had every intention of becoming Temperence's guardian and I wanted to do it. I had no hard feelings toward her about giving all that up but when she ran away, I just accepted it as fate." His disgust with himself was apparent. He raised tormented eyes to Booth, "It was a cop out. The funny thing is that Temperence has never blamed me. She should, you know, I betrayed her just like everyone else. But I finally got it together and now I know what's important to me and my girls are the most important things in my life, Booth. I won't see her hurt again." Booth acknowledged the not so veiled threat in his words and sought to offer the older man some comfort.

"She doesn't blame you for anything, Chris." Booth took a chance. He didn't think that Brennan would mind him sharing and Chris needed to hear this. "She told me that you were the best in the world and she had already lost her dream, she couldn't be responsible for you losing yours. She loved you enough then to not let you sacrifice your dream and she loves you even more now." A single tear slid down the older man's cheek and he looked at Booth gratefully.

"Thank you," he whispered softly. In that instant, these two men bonded. From this day forward, they would be united in their quest to protect their special woman from the pain and suffering that the world handed out randomly. Chris silently acknowledged Booth's place as the most important man in Temperence's life with more than a small twinge in his heart. But, he was a good judge of character and he knew that this man would keep his little girl safe and loved as long as there was breath in his body. Besides, he would always be watching and wouldn't hesitate to step in if was ever needed, but he highly doubted that would ever be necessary.

Booth acknowled all the silent messages that Chris sent him with a nod and a smile. He knew that Chris would be watching him and would have lost some respect for the man if he had just handed Brennan over to him like a piece of property and walked away. Brennan's heart was big enough for both of them and she needed them both in her life. Booth vowed in that moment to never give Chris a reason to regret placing his trust in him. Glancing at each other, they had the awkward moment that men always have when a discussion gets emotional. Both grinned at the same time and Chris asked Booth a sports question, steering toward more solid ground.

Neither man noticed the woman standing outside the bar, looking in the large plate glass window, her eyes locked on them. _She wasn't spying_, Brennan assured herself, _she just wanted to make sure that things went well, especially with Booth being so nervous._ She smiled as both men threw back their heads and roared with laughter. For the first time since she was fifteen years old, she was completely happy and the two men in that bar were the ones most responsible for it. She turned and walked away with a smile playing across her lips.


	32. Chapter 32

**This one is winding down, guys. Please review and let me know what you think of the whole thing. Pretty please with a chocolate covered Booth on top.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

The morning of the Hodgins/Montenegro wedding

Angela slowly came awake to someone shaking her shoulder and urging her to get up. She tried to push the annoying person away and buried her head under her pillow. The pillow was jerked out of her hands and she moaned, covering her head with her hands to block the light.

"Go away," she ordered without opening her eyes.

"Ange, I can't go away. You need to get up. You're getting married today." Angela's eyes flew open at Brennan's words then slammed shut when the light hit them. She grabbed her aching head and whimpered.

"God, please just kill me now," she begged. Brennan couldn't stop the snort that escaped at Angela's melodramatic moaning.

"Ange, come on," Brennan coaxed, "I have some aspirin for the headache and water to rehydrate you and Hodgins' cook sent up something that looks disgusting but he assures me that it will "cure whatever ails you"," Brennan smiled in victory as she remembered the exact phrasing that the cook had asked her to pass on to Angela.

Angela slowly pulled herself up in bed, keeping her eyes closed and reaching her hands out blindly for the items that Brennan had mentioned. Brennan sighed and sat on the bed, patiently handing Angela the aspirin and water, then the hangover remedy from the cook. Brennan thought it was a good idea for Angela to drink this with her eyes closed, because it looked disgusting. She wasn't sure what was in it, but she could see a raw egg floating around in there and the whiff she got of the concoction as she passed it to Angela almost made her gag. She was extremely grateful that she didn't have to drink it. Angela got a whiff and jerked backward, almost falling off the bed, but managing to keep her eyes closed the whole time. Brennan grabbed her friend in time to save her from a fall and pressed the glass into her hands.

"Here, Ange, Henry said to hold your nose and drink it all down. He promised that it will make you feel better very quickly." Angela bravely pinched her nostrils together and raised the glass to her lips and Brennan turned away as her friend gulped down the horrible concoction. Angela handed the glass back to Brennan, her slender body racked by shudders. She then flopped back on the bed with a groan and covered her eyes with her arms. Brennan sat quietly until her friend began to stir twenty minutes later. Angela removed her arms from her face and slowly opened her eyes, squinting up at Brennan.

"Why don't you feel as bad as I do?" she demanded crossly. Not waiting for an answer, she continued, "I know that you drank even more than me." Brennan shrugged and avoided Angela's eyes. Angela eyed her friend suspiciously and sat bolt upright in bed as scenes from her bachelorette party the night before began to flash through her head. "Oh my God," she gasped and looked at Brennan wide eyed. Brennan met her eyes at her gasp, her expression pleading.

"Ange, it really wasn't my fault." More images flashed through Angela's mind. Images of dancing, lots of dancing. Dancing on tabletops.

"Oh My God." Dancing on bars. Angela's head dropped into her hands.

"It wasn't all that bad, Ange. Tempe has done worse." Dancing on a stage and clothes coming off.

"OH. MY. GOD." Angela's head shot up and she pinned Brennan with a horrified look. "Bren, please tell me that we didn't show up as strippers at Jack's bachelor party." Brennan opened her mouth to grant Angela's request but Angela knew from the sick smile on Brennan's face that they had done exactly that. Her head dropped back into her hands as the images of the night before overtook her.

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Brennan and Angela had arrived at the club together. Although it was technically Brennan's duty as maid of honor to organize the bachelorette party, Angela had insisted on doing it herself. She said that it was to save Brennan the trouble, but Brennan knew it was because Angela feared the kind of night they would have if Brennan was in charge of entertainment.

Angela had invited several friends and they had, apparently, invited several friends, the two discovered as they entered the same dance club where Tempe had made an appearance and saw the swell of women already waiting on the Bride to Be to start the celebration. Angela and Brennan looked at each other wide eyed at the number of celebrants and shrugged philosophically. They joined the party.

Brennan caught sight of Daisy and avoided her like the plague. She had no clue that Daisy had made friends with a couple of the other women there and eagerly shared her first visit to the club with them. These same women thought it would be funny to see Brennan let down her hair and had plied Brennan with drinks containing sloe gin while Angela was occupied elsewhere. By the time Angela noticed that Tempe was present at the party, it was already too late. They were both hammered and Tempe wanted to party. So did Angela.

And party they did. They danced. With each other. With many, many men. On tabletops at the club. Then Tempe had the bright idea that she wanted to find Booth. Angela thought that this was a great idea since he was with Jack and they both knew exactly where to find the guys. They carelessly ditched the bachelorette party and moved on to greener pastures. As in the strip club where they had made their video. The same strip club that had been rented out for the night for Hodgins' bachelor party. They were greeted like long lost sisters by a couple of the strippers as they exited the cab in front of the club and led through the back entrance when they explained their presence. They ended up in the dressing room and were greeted warmly by a couple of the girls including Candi, the one who had given the pole dancing class that had been the catalyst to Brennan's and Booth's relationship developing. Angela's eyes were caught by something and she wandered away from the group standing around talking excitedly.

"Ooohhh, Tempe," Angela called in a sing song voice. Brennan spun around to see Angela holding matching dominatrix costumes. They were black leather but had sparkles all over them, making them glitter under the lights, relieving some of the austerity of the costumes. Angela gave Brennan a devilish grin and a raised eyebrow as their eyes communicated. Brennan returned the devilish grin and turned to Candi.

"Candi, the party tonight is for Angela's fiancée. We would really like to perform. Together." Candi looked at them consideringly. She remembered the way Brennan moved. If you'd ever seen her dance, you'd never forget it. Candi was a little hesitant. She wasn't sure how someone's fiancé would react to what the girls were planning. Surprisingly she had never had that happen before. But, looking into two hopeful faces, she decided _what the hell?_ There was a first time for everything. She grinned at the two women.

"Get dressed, ladies. You're on next." Angela squealed and clapped her hands. Brennan gave Candi a hug and a Thanks, you're the best. They grabbed the costumes and quickly started stripping with the girls excitedly helping them to get ready. Everyone in the room thought that this was a show they didn't want to miss.

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INSIDE THE STRIP CLUB

They had been at the club less than two hours and both Booth and Hodgins would have been perfectly happy to just go home. Booth, as the best man, had planned something a little less decadent than renting out an entire strip club for Hodgins' bachelor party, but, upon receiving his wedding invitation, one of Hodgins' old college buddies had contacted Booth and begged to be allowed to plan the bachelor party. It seemed that Hodgins had given several of his friends a grand send off into marriage and they wanted to return the favor with a night he would never forget. So far, tonight had failed to achieve that status in either mans estimation. Hodgins' college buddies were acting like a bunch of unruly frat boys and Booth and Hodgins had chosen to disassociate themselves from their juvenile behavior. They were sitting at a corner table, talking quietly, just biding their time until they could blow this joint and meet Angela and Brennan back at the mansion, where they were all spending the night. A very attractive blonde with plenty of assets on display approached the two men with a playful grin.

"Are you boys having a good time?" They both gave her a polite smile, but nothing else. Her smile widened. She could plainly see that these two couldn't wait to get out of here, but she thought that was about to change. She leaned both elbows on the table and leaned forward squeezing her breasts together until they almost popped out of the skimpy bra she was wearing. Neither man took their eyes off her face. _Impressive,_ she thought. "You two might want to move closer to the stage. We have an act coming up that I think you will find very interesting." She was looking at Hodgins as she said it. They both smiled politely but made no move to change seats. "Really, really interesting." She enticed with a smile. Nothing. With a sigh, she gave up. She had a feeling that they would be noticing the stage on their own shortly. She turned and sashayed away just as the music for the next act started. Booth turned to Hodgins with a grin.

"Better watch it, Hodgins, I think you may have yourself an admirer," he teased, pointing to the retreating Candi's back. Hodgins shrugged and his attention was caught by the music. _This was one of Angela's favorite songs_, he thought with a smile. Turning back to Booth, he resumed their previous conversation. Less than a minute later, Booth glanced up as total silence descended over the room and his mouth dropped open at the sight on the stage. Seeing Booth's expression, Hodgins' gaze quickly swung to the stage. It took him a little longer to figure out what he was seeing than it had Booth, but he was also stunned when realization hit him.

"Oh my God," he whispered, unable to move even his eyes. Booth was in a similar state of surprised paralysis.

"No freaking way." He added to Hodgins comment.

On the stage stood two women dressed in glittery, black leather dominatrix costumes, their faces and hair partially covered with masks coated with the same glitter as the costumes and holding whips. Booth recognized Brennan instantly and swallowed hard as she began to sway sensuously to the pounding beat of the music. He was hard within seconds as she gracefully strutted across the stage. He swallowed a groan and bit his lower lip with each flick of the whip, unable to tear his gaze from her. Hodgins was having a similar reaction to Angela. Although her dancing skills were far inferior to Brennan's, Hodgins couldn't tear his eyes away from the love of his life. Until she started removing clothing at the same pace as Brennan and shouts of encouragement and piercing wolf whistles rent the air, reminding the men where they were. Hodgins and Booth looked at each other in horror, sharing the same thought, No way in hell were their women taking off their clothes for anyone but them. They were on their feet and moving toward the stage instantly.

Candi had been dividing her attention between the two men and the stage. She thought it was a real pity that Brennan didn't do this for a living. She would make a fortune. Even Angela would make an extremely good living dancing. What she lacked in skill, she more than made up for in enthusiasm. Candi smiled as the men came back to themselves and bolted toward the stage. She had been expecting a similar reaction and motioned to the behemoth bouncer not to interfere as they neared the stage. Booth strode firmly onto the stage with Hodgins right behind him. Grabbing Brennan's arm and swinging her around, he bent at the waist and swung her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. Ignoring the howls of protest erupting from the crowd, he started off the stage with Hodgins still behind him, Angela held firmly across his shoulder. Neither woman was struggling, they were too busy giggling. Just as they stepped off the stage, drunken calls of encouragement rang out from the crowd.

"Go Hodgins," was one idiots advice.

"Oooohhhhh, party favors," slurred another.

The men didn't wait around to hear anymore. They strode out of the club and unceremoniously dumped the still giggling women into the back of one of several waiting limos, swiftly climbing in behind them. Brennan and Angela straightened up from the heap they had landed in on the back seat and looked at each other then at the men sitting across from them, glaring at them. They weren't bothered by the glares, they could fix that, their eyes told each other. Angela slithered across the space separating the seats and plopped herself into Hodgins lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and fluttering her lashes at him outrageously. He couldn't hold back his laughter and hugged her to him tightly.

Without breaking eye contact with Booth, Brennan reached across the distance separating them, grabbed his hand and tugged him onto the back seat with her. She immediately straddled his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned down to nuzzled his neck and whispered, "I missed you," and Booth was a goner. How could he possibly be irritated with the beautiful, sexy woman in his arms? His arms wrapped around her and he suddenly remembered how she was dressed and his eyes widened. Glancing down, he saw that she still had the whip clutched in her hand and she was now using her tongue and teeth on his earlobe. Just before his libido took over, he thought that Hodgins' friend was right. This would be a night that he would never forget.

Booth's arms and lap was full of warm, willing woman. Actually it was warm, willing and aggressive woman and he could do nothing about it because Angela and Hodgins were less than 5 feet away from them. Not that the two of them were paying attention to him and Brennan, they were making out like horny teenagers. It just made Booth uncomfortable to even think about doing anything with Brennan where their friends might oversee. It didn't seem to bother Brennan. She was currently staddling his lap, grinding herself against his fully erect penis in a tight swirl pattern that was drawing gasps of pleasure from both of them. He gripped her hips tightly and held her still. She lifted her head from where she had been kissing his neck and looked at him questioningly. He nodded his head to the opposite seat and she looked over her shoulder. Turning back to him, she laughed.

"They're too busy to notice what we're doing." She leaned down and took his bottom lip between her teeth pulling it out and darting her tongue into his mouth to tangle aggressively with his. Booth moaned and participated in the kiss, one hand sliding into his hair and the other remaining on her hip. Her hips immediately started moving and both hands went back into place to hold her still. She pulled back from the very passionate kiss and leaned down to swirl her tongue into his ear. She knew that move weakened his knees every time, then she went in for the kill.

"Come on, Baby, haven't you ever wanted to be a bad boy and see just what you could get away with right in front of someone." She lifted her head and saw the answer in his eyes. _Yes._ She gave him a sexy, come hither smile that should be outlawed to protect the male population and leaned down to nip at his earlobe. "Now's your chance, Booth. Just how bad can you be without them noticing?" Her breath puffed against the sensitive shell of his ear and his eyes drifted closed involuntarily just as his cock pulsed. He was so turned on that he could barely think. Just seeing her in that costume had made him hard. Carrying her out of the club like a caveman while she was wearing that costume made him throb. Having her straddling his lap and rub her whole body against him made him crazy. Just as his hands reached out to take her up on her dare, the limo drew smoothly to a stop in front of Hodgins' mansion and he breathed a sigh of relief. He had to laugh a little at the pouty look of disappointment on her face when she realized that they had reached their destination.

The two couples climbed out of the limo, entered the house, said quick good nights and headed toward separate bedrooms. Booth and Brennan had left from the mansion for their respective parties and were spending the night here to be on hand for any last minute problems with the wedding tomorrow, so they already knew which bedroom they were staying in and they reached it at warp speed. Brennan entered the room, closely followed by Booth who quickly shut the door and came toward her, but she backed up and shook an admonishing finger at him.

"Uh uh, no touching, Booth." He was confused. She certainly hadn't abided by that rule in the limo, she had been all over him and he was more than ready to take his turn.

"What? Why?" She gave him a sinfully wicked smile and ran her hands down her body to indicate her costume. He was starting to get it, but didn't know how he felt about what her eyes were suggesting. He had never really been into bedroom games so he continued toward her. Until she snapped the whip right under his nose. That stopped him in his tracks, his eyes wide. Her eyes laughed at his expression.

"You don't really think we should let this costume go to waste, do you, Booth?" he wasn't sure it was safe to answer her. He ran his hand along the back of his neck.

"Look, Bones, I'm not really into all this stuff, so…,"

"Silence." She demanded, snapping the whip again, not under his nose this time, but pretty damn close. He shut up. She strutted toward him in 3 inch stilettos, her hips swaying exaggeratedly and Booth swallowed hard. She reached up and trailed the whip from his shoulder, diagonally across his chest, around his side and up his back to his other shoulder as she walked around him and perused his body as if seeing it for the first time. She walked back in front of him and lifted her eyes to his. "Very nice, Mr. Booth. You may call me Mistress Brennan."

"What the hell, Bones?" A very disapproving light came into her eyes and her lips tightened. She snapped the whip again.

"Do you have a hearing problem, Mr. Booth? You will call me Mistress Brennan and you will only speak when I give you permission. You've been a very bad boy and you need to be punished. Do you understand, Mr. Booth?" _Wow, Bones was really getting into this_. And, surprisingly, so was he. Every snap of her whip made his erection throb and this bossy side of her was really turning him on. Holding her eyes, he nodded. She gave him an approving smile. Walking in circles around him, she eyed him up and down and ordered, "Take off your clothes, Mr. Booth." Booth was happy to comply and his hands began tearing at the buttons on his shirt.

"Stop!" she shouted, trailing her hand from his shoulder, down his chest and grazing it along the length of his hard on before removing her hand and going to sit on the end of the bed, eyeing him like a science specimen. "Slowly, Mr. Booth. The more you make sure that I enjoy this, the more you will enjoy things later." Mr. Booth's libido really revved up at that one and he slowly unbuttoned his shirt, baring one part of his chest and abdomen at a time to her avid gaze. Her eyes were all over him and she was unconsciously licking her lips. Every swipe of her tongue made his gut clench with wanting to be the one doing the licking but he obeyed her and slowly disrobed. He looked at her with a raised brow as he fingered his boxers. She nodded her approval of him not speaking and nodded.

He discarded his last piece of clothing and stood before her all hard sculpted muscles and an enormous erection. She motioned him to come to her and he walked over to the bed. She stood, leaving the whip lying on the bed and placed the fingertips of both hands on his shoulders, smoothing them lightly down his chest to stop and pluck at his nipples, smiling at his muffled groan and moving her fingertips lower. Down over his sculpted abs, lower over the front of his thighs and calves, around to the backs of his legs to make the return journey. When she got to his ass, she stood and walked around behind him and Booth didn't know whether to be grateful or sorry. She had completely avoided touching his groin on the way down, but when she leaned down to touch his legs, every soft, exhalation had puffed against his aching hard on and he had to clench his hands into fists to keep from reaching down and guiding himself into her talented mouth.

Her fingertips started at his shoulders and feathered down his back, making him shudder with each soft stroke. She kneaded the cheeks of his ass firmly and he grunted unable to stop his hips thrusting forward. She continued to knead his ass and moved closer until she was pressed against his back. He could feel her hard nipples pressing against him and leaned backward a little his head falling back. She reached up and nipped his earlobe and he bit his lip to keep from begging her to stop playing and get serious. "You know, Mr. Booth, you don't really learn anything if you don't confess your sins. So I need you to tell me what you did that was bad, so that I can punish you and we can move on." _Move on. Yeah, that sounded good to him._ Wait, he had to tell her something bad that he had done and his blood wasn't currently supplying his brain. He drew a blank and looked at her helplessly.

Her fingers wandered around his sides and across his abdominals then moved down as far as she could reach with that feather light touch, touching everything but the hardness that pulsed every time those magic fingers got near. She looked at him sadly and shook her head.

"Well, Mr. Booth, if you're not willing to participate, I guess we're done here." He panicked as her hands began to withdraw.

"I don't know what you want me to say." She looked at him assessingly and threw him a bone.

"Well, Mr. Booth, what is it that you usually confess to when you go to church?" That one was easy in Booths opinion. He'd been confessing to it for over three years now, weekly and saw no reason to hold it back from her now.

"Lusting after my partner." He saw her brow arch even under the mask. Her hand moved suddenly and grasped his cock, fingers closing tightly around him. She slowly began to stroke from tip to base and he groaned out loud.

"Very good, Mr. Booth." She praised his honesty. "Exactly how long have you been lusting after your partner?" He liked what his honesty got him so he told the truth.

"Since the day we met." She continued to slowly stroke him while rubbing her breasts against his back. Suddenly, she stopped and he whimpered. _No, come back. I'll answer all of your questions._

"Lay down on the bed, Mr. Booth." He instantly complied, crawling into the middle of the king sized bed and reclining back on the pillows. She crawled up toward him from the bottom of the bed on all fours and some very interesting thoughts went through Booth's mind. She rose on her knees beside him and picked up her whip. Booth eyed the whip apprehensively but he knew that she would never really hurt him so he played along. She started at his feet and trailed the fronds of the whip up his legs, over his groin, making sure to come into full contact with his erection with each and every frond and continued over his chest and down his arms. "Mr Booth, that's not even really deserving of punishment. Surely you've done something worse." Booth really liked his punishment and racked his brain for something more appropriate, falling back on what he confessed at church weekly.

"I fantasize about my partner." Another lift of the brow. She rewarded his honesty by reaching up and peeling away one of the cups of her costume, revealing the plump white breast topped by a tassle. Booth's eyes widened and his hard on throbbed as the picture of her on that stage moving the way she danced with nothing on but a g-string and tassles floated through his mind.

"Is that all, Mr. Booth?" she sounded disappointed and the last thing he wanted to do was disappoint her any time, but most especially tonight.

"I fantasize about my partner when I, you know," he made a hand motion to indicate jerking off.

"So, you fantasize about your partner when you masturbate?" she sounded interested and reached up and peeled off the other side of her costume revealing the other perfect breast to his gaze. "Well, Mr. Booth, I think I have an appropriate punishment for you." She crawled down the bed and settled herself between his legs, reaching up and grasping his cock, she stroked him several times as his hips came off the bed and groans sounded throughout the room.

Still stroking his length she rose onto her knees and licked him from base to head, taking the head of his throbbing hard on in her mouth and sucking lightly. She moved her hand and slowly took his length into her mouth, swirling her tongue over every part of it that she could reach. Booth couldn't control his thrusting hips and automatically reached down and buried a hand in her hair. She immediately stopped. _Uh oh, no touching. He had forgotten, but he wouldn't forget again. _ He moved his hand and she returned to sucking his cock. _Man he really liked his punishment, they were going to have to play this game more often._

Twenty minutes later, he did not like this game at all. He was bathed in sweat and Brennan still knelt between his legs, her mouth and tongue teasing his painfully hard, throbbing cock to the verge of orgasm and then easing him off for the fifth time. His hands were fisted in the sheets to keep himself from grabbing her head and making her finish it. His body was taut with desire and every touch or puff of air on his penis was so pleasurable it was almost painful, radiating out to every inch of his body. Apparently the punishment for using her as a fantasy while masturbating was the fantasy coming to life and her actually sucking his cock but not allowing him to come. It was diabolical. He hadn't known that this level of horniness existed and had long ago forgotten not to speak, pleading with her to end his suffering and let him come. She had ignored his pleas and he owed he big time for this one, he decided.

She sat back on her heels and looked at him. Her face was flushed with damp tendrils of hair clinging to her neck. She had discarded the face mask a few minutes into her marathon blow job and her hair was sexily mussed. She had also removed the tassles so that she could rub her nipples on his legs, stimulating them both. Her eyes were dark with desire. What he hadn't noticed was that she had undone the Velcro crotch of her costume and her hand was between her legs, obviously stroking her clit and had been for some time. She was on the verge of orgasm herself. "Do you think you've learned your lesson, Mr. Booth?" her voice was husky and her hips were undulating against her hand.

"Yes, I've learned my damned lesson, Bones. Now, please just finish it." He begged. She looked thoughtful.

"I don't know, Mr. Booth. Maybe just one more round," and she bent toward his erection. _Oh, hell, no. He'd had enough_. Before her mouth could make contact with his hard cock, he sat up, flipped her onto her hands and knees and buried himself inside her hot, tight channel. He was out of control and he knew it, thrusting hard, fast and deep, release his only goal. He would make it up to her later, he told himself as he gripped her hips and drove toward climax. He needn't have worried, she was with him every step. Teasing him had turned her on to a previously unknown level and she was dripping wet and aching by the second time she backed him down from orgasm. She'd had to rub her clit to get some relief from the ache of her body and that had just turned her on more, but Booth being out of control was the biggest turn on of all. She rocked back against his every thrust and tightened her inner muscles pulling him in even deeper. She felt him swell and lengthen inside her in preparation of coming and that sent her over the edge with an orgasm so intense that she almost lost consciousness, she did see stars behind her eyelids. Her inner walls tightening and releasing in waves drew Booth's orgasm from him. He felt like it began at the top of his head and gathered strength as it moved down and he poured everything that he was into her, pulsing and jerking for what seemed like hours. They collapsed onto the bed and he rolled to her side to keep from crushing her, pulling her against him tightly and kissing her tenderly. They were asleep in each other's arms seconds later.


	33. Chapter 33

**Only one more chapter after this one. Please review. Thanks for sticking with me.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Angela raised her head and looked at Brennan and they both burst out laughing. They had both ended up having a very, very good night and it wouldn't change anything to be embarrassed over their actions now. Besides, they told themselves, _they had been wearing masks and no one could possibly have recognized them_. And Angela was getting married. That was the only thing that mattered today; they would deal with any fallout some other time. Brennan smiled and held out her hand. Angela took the hand of the sister of her heart and climbed out of bed, now eager to face the day.

Since Brennan was her only attendant in this wedding, Angela had chosen for them to spend the morning alone at the estate, getting pampered and let the wedding planner handle things at the church. They had both taken relaxing bubble baths and were currently getting massages. Angela turned her head to see Brennan lying relaxed with her eyes closed in pleasure as the masseuse worked on tight muscles.

"Bren, do you think you'll ever get married?" _To Booth_ hung in the air. Brennan's eyes slowly opened and she regarded Angela levelly.

"Yes, Ange, I think I will." Angela was shocked that Brennan had changed her mind about marriage and that she would be so open about it.

"What changed your mind?" Brennan looked a little embarrassed.

"Nothing really changed my mind, Ange. I've always wanted to have a family unit, but after my parents left, I just thought that I would never find anyone that I could trust enough to make that kind of commitment to." Angela gaped at something she had not known about her old and dear friend.

"Until Booth," she whispered.

"Until Booth." Brennan agreed.

Angela grinned inwardly. She seriously doubted that Brennan had shared this change of heart with Booth and she would make certain to have a little chat with the man in question and do some sharing of her own. She wasn't interfering; she just wanted her friend to be as happy as she was. She was pulled from her happy thoughts by the masseuse announcing that he was finished and the makeup and hair people were waiting for them.

Two hours later, Brennan stood back and surveyed her best friend with tears in her eyes. Angela's hair was piled artfully atop her head with strands escaping and curling to frame her face. Hair pins with real diamonds had been strategically placed and glittered with every head movement. Her makeup was minimal. She didn't need it. She glowed with happiness from within and her face shone with radiance. She had chosen a white satin off the shoulder gown. The bodice fit tightly and was studded with rhinestones in intricate patterns. Hodgins had offered to supply real diamonds instead of the rhinestones, but Angela had laughed at him and told him that was ridiculous. The gown came to a v at the waist and the skirt flared slightly from there not quite touching the ground, but concealing the 3 inch heels that bore rhinestones in a pattern matching the bodice of the gown. Five carat dangling diamond earrings and a six carat diamond necklace, all wedding gifts from Hodgins, completed the ensemble. She was a beautiful bride.

Angela looked at Brennan with the same expression, tears standing in her eyes. Brennan was dressed in a simple A line, tea length, sapphire blue satin shift that exactly matched her eyes and made them shine. The hair dresser had thought it would be cute for them to have matching hair styles, but had opted to use baby's breath in her auburn tresses rather than diamonds. Her makeup was also minimal, mostly around the eyes, making them appear even larger and more luminous than usual. Booth wasn't going to know what hit him, thought Angela. She lunged forward and hugged Brennan tightly, their pasts flashing through both of their minds. Brennan clung to Angela for several minutes and then reluctantly pulled back.

"It's time, Ange." Angela nodded and held out her hand. Hand in hand, two little girls who had been battered and betrayed, who, against all odds, had managed to find and hold onto each other, who had grown into women that anyone should be proud to be walked out of that room and toward the men who could give them the futures that they no longer feared.

They exited the limo and entered the antechamber of the church set aside for the bride forty-five minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to begin to find the wedding planner bustling about with multiple last minute details to attend to. She tried to push glasses of champagne on Brennan and Angela and urged them to relax in the room provided; assuring them that everything was on time and under control. They politely declined the champagne with Angela remarking that having a bachelorette party the night before the wedding had to be the idea of the Marque De Sade. They settled down to talk until the ceremony, both remarkably calm.

Fifteen minutes later, Booth opened the door quietly and paused, with a smile lighting his face, at the sight that greeted him. They both sat on a sofa, turned toward each other with their dresses carefully arranged around them to prevent wrinkling and leaned close, whispering though they were alone in the room. Booth briefly wondered what they could be discussing that required secrecy in an empty room and decided it didn't matter. It was probably nothing anyway. That was just the way of things with these two and he couldn't be happier to see them looking like a couple of teenagers.

They had both come a long way in the last few months. Not that he thought that either of them had needed to change, but they had needed to heal and they had done a lot of that lately. He knew that things would never be all smooth sailing with either one of them, but they were both worth the effort and he and Hodgins were certainly up to the challenge. He stepped into the room fully and the door closing behind him got the women's attention. They both rose from the couch as Booth walked toward them, his eyes fixed, as usual when in her presence, on his Bones. He stopped directly in front of her, eyes doing a thorough appraisal and gleaming approvingly.

"You look beautiful, Baby," he whispered, leaning in to plant a feather light kiss on her lips. She smiled up at him almost shyly and they got lost in each other's eyes. Until Angela interrupted.

"Hey, I'm the bride here," she reminded him laughingly. Booth turned and took in Angela's appearance.

"Sorry, Ange. You look beautiful." He placed a soft kiss on her cheek. She did look beautiful, just not as beautiful as his Bones. In Booth's estimation, no one was as beautiful as Brennan.

"Is everything ok, Booth? Is it Jack? Oh, God, has he changed his mind?" Angela went from laughing to full panic mode in two seconds flat. Brennan rolled her eyes; she had already dealt with several of these episodes this morning. Her eyes told Booth that this one was all his. He gently grasped Angela's shoulders.

"Everything is fine, Angela," he soothed. "Jack has not changed his mind. In fact, he's getting antsy to get this show on the road. I just wanted to see Brennan for a minute since I didn't get to see her this morning." His voice and face were now disgruntled. Angela grinned at the quick change in attitude.

"Don't be such a big baby, Booth. You obviously survived not seeing Bren for one morning." _Yeah, he had survived, but he hadn't liked it._ Angela had come into the bedroom he and Brennan were using at the mansion at three freaking o'clock in the morning and kicked Booth out of bed, insisting that he and Hodgins had to go to another wing of the house so that Hodgins didn't see her before the wedding. It had done no good to point out that it was her wedding day and Hodgins had already seen her. She stubbornly insisted that it didn't count until daylight and Brennan had just shrugged, silently giving Bridezilla her way. So, he had dragged his butt out of a warm bed filled with his Bones and followed an equally irritated and grumbling Hodgins to bedrooms in a separate wing of the house. He had been unable to fall asleep without Brennan and was still a little cranky because of it. Whatever reply he was going to make was stalled by the door opening and a head peering around the edge. Both women instantly waved the man at the door inside.

Chris was so choked up at the sight before him that he had to take a minute to collect himself. An image of the two little girls they had been when he first met them superimposed itself over the one before him, morphing slowly through every stage of their growth and development that he had been privileged enough to observe until, once again, his girls were standing before him as the women they had become. He sent up a silent prayer of thanksgiving to God for sending these two special people into his life and entered the room with a smile. He shook hands with Booth and turned to Angela, taking both of her hands in his and spread their arms theatrically wide, making her giggle.

"You're the most beautiful bride I've ever seen, my dear," he murmured honestly. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, Maestro. Looking pretty good there yourself." She motioned to the black tuxedo that he wore very well. He was a very good looking man and Angela suddenly turned to Brennan with an idea. "Bren, I think that we should fix him up with somebody. Surely between the two of us we can find someone good enough for Dad." Angela had started calling him Dad every once in a while a few months ago and even Brennan was doing it periodically now. Every time one of them used the word in reference to him, it made him want to cry and warmed his heart at the same time. Brennan regarded him thoughtfully and finally nodded slowly.

"Yes, Angela, I believe you are correct. While you have a larger group of acquaintances to choose from, I believe that I can be of assistance developing a list of desired qualities and screening potential mates for the probability of a successful relationship developing. And if that doesn't work, we can always expand our search to include the internet and dating services." The girls nodded at each other, obviously excited about their idea. Chris looked terrified. Booth laughed and clapped him on the back.

"Welcome to fatherhood, Chris." Chris raised a questioning brow. "When the kiddies start bossing you around and interfering in your life, that's when you know that you're really a father." Chris leaned in closer so the girls wouldn't hear him.

"You don't think they're serious, do you?" Booth looked over at the chattering women and laughed. Chris was toast. And they both knew that if Brennan and Angela wanted him to date then a dating he would go. He clapped Chris on the shoulder commiseratingly.

"Sorry, Chris, but those two are deadly serious. Look at it like this, they just want you to be happy." Chris' expression softened and his stance relaxed. He realized that Booth was right; now that they had someone in their lives that made them happy and more fulfilled they wanted that for him. It was a gesture of love and it touched him deeply to know that they loved him enough to worry about his happiness. He stepped forward and put an arm around each of his girl's shoulders and pulled them to his chest in a group hug. They put one arm around him and the other around each other and the three stood there clinging to each other. Booth didn't feel excluded. He felt privileged to witness this kind of caring for and from the woman he loved. They only broke apart when the wedding planner cleared her throat to get their attention.

"It's time to take your places," she stepped into the room pinning Booth with a disapproving look for being there in the first place. She quickly shooed him out of the room and instructed him to take Hodgins to the altar in exactly 10 minutes. From the tone of her voice, Booth deduced that there would be dire consequences if he was so much as ten seconds early or late. He decided that she would just have to deal, he wasn't about to synchronize their watches to get Hodgins to the altar on her schedule. Ex Army Rangers just didn't do that.

By the time he reached the chapel, Booth was irritated. Not about the wedding. He was thrilled for his friends and hoping that watching the two exchange vows would give Brennan a few ideas. He had every intention of marrying the woman, but was biding his time to ask. He knew that she would be ready to take that step one day and he would be waiting to drag her off to the altar at the first opportunity. No, he was irritated at that bunch of juvenile jerks that Hodgins' called friends. He caught sight of the groom and went to join him.

"Hodgins, if one more of your buddies winks at me and asks if I enjoyed my party favor, I swear, I'm going to shoot them," he groused. Hodgins winced. He had been getting the same thing from the morons, only they had been nudging him in the side with their elbows. He thought he might actually have bruises.

"Go ahead, man. I'm finding that I don't like them nearly as much now as I did in college. I wonder why?" he mused. Booth considered and came up with the perfect answer.

"Maybe because you're actually a grown up now and none of them are." Hodgins nodded his agreement. Booth checked his watch and nodded toward the altar at the front of the church. "Show time, buddy," Taking a deep breath and fighting down that tiny curl of fear that something was still going to happen to stop this wedding he started down the aisle to wait for his bride.

Five minutes later, Chris offered Angela one arm and Brennan the other leading them from the antechamber to the entrance for the sanctuary. The wedding planner quickly put them into place and offered them a couple of minutes before the processional began. Brennan hugged Angela tightly and Angela hugged her back whispering, "I love you, Bren." A single tear slid down Brennan's cheek when she pulled back.

"I love you, too, Ange." The wedding planner pulled Brennan forward and their moment was lost. Before she opened the doors, Chris turned to Angela and kissed her cheek.

"I'm so sorry your father couldn't be here, Angela, but I'm honored to walk you down the aisle." Angela's father had been out of the country and had developed some sort of respiratory infection that required hospitalization for an indeterminate amount of time. Angela had offered to postpone the wedding but her father had insisted that she go ahead with her plans. He was well acquainted with Chris and after consulting Angela, it was he who actually asked Chris to stand in for him. Chris offered his arm. "Shall we?" She smiled radiantly and placed her hand in the crook of his arm.

"We shall." The music started. Angela had chosen to go with the traditional wedding march this time. The doors opened and Brennan got her first look at the room. There were flowers everywhere all in white or shades of blue. Lilies, roses, orchids and many that Brennan couldn't identify. She was, after all, not a botanist. They were decorating the ends of the pews and heavily decorating the altar. And it was absolutely beautiful. White rose petals had been strewn down the aisle and the wedding planner handed Brennan a bouquet of white rosebuds and blue calla lilies and shooed her down the aisle.

She took a deep breath, raised her head and locked eyes with Booth. He stood at the altar with Hodgins dressed in a black tuxedo that had been fitted to him. And fit him it did. It accentuated his broad shoulders and trim waist. She couldn't see the pants from her vantage point but was looking forward to checking them out later.

Brennan took one step and then another and her eyes never left Booth's. His eyes shone with love. For her. And just seeing that cemented things in her logical, rational mind and her woman's heart. She was walking toward someone who would never betray or leave her. Someone who would love and protect her always. _She was walking toward her future_, she knew without a doubt.

_She took his breath away,_ thought Booth as Brennan started down the aisle. Suddenly, in his mind, she was no longer dressed in her blue dress, but in a white wedding gown and she was walking down the aisle to become his wife and he wanted that so badly that he could taste it. His eyes sent her that message and he almost took a step toward her when her eyes telegraphed her answer. _Yes._ That really did take his breath away. So much so that Hodgins turned to him and asked if he was ok. Booth nodded and smiled brilliantly, never taking his eyes from hers. _Wow, he was engaged,_ he thought. Oh, he knew that he would have to verbalize the question, but he had no doubt of her answer when he did. Brennan shot him a serene smile as she reached that altar and took her place. Their eyes sent one last message before turning to watch Angela walk down the aisle. The message was I love you now and forever.

Everyone rose to their feet as Angela stepped through the doors. She was radiant and confident, head held high with a small smile playing across her lips. Her eyes took in Hodgins, so elegant and sexy in his fitted tux and her heart gave a small flutter. She loved this man with her entire being and she would spend the rest of her life showing him that. She was suddenly certain that they could weather any storm that life threw their way and be the better for it.

Hodgins watched the vision of loveliness floating toward him and his heart gave more than a small flutter, it felt as if was going to literally burst because it couldn't contain the love and joy that he felt at that moment. This was the happiest moment of his life and the best part was that he knew there would be many more of these peaks of happiness as he and Angela made their life together. His bride arrived at the altar. The man who was not her father, but who was her second dad shook his hand and placed her hand in his, kissing her cheek one last time and took his seat in the first pew. Angela had made the minister cut out the part about who gives this woman to this man. She and Brennan both found it a little offensive and, by that time, the tired minister was just giving Bridezilla whatever she wanted. It made his life a lot easier. The minister motioned for the guests to be seated and began the ceremony.

"Dearly beloved we are gathered here today in the face of this company, to join together Jack Hodgins and Angela Montenegro in holy matrimony; which is an honorable and solemn estate and therefore is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently and soberly. Into this estate these two persons present come now to be joined. If anyone can show just cause why they may not be lawfully joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace." After a short pause, the minister indicated that the couple should turn to face each other and announced that they had written their own vows. Hodgins took both of Angela's hands in his and gazed into her eyes.

"Angela, today is the happiest day of my life as I become your husband and you become my wife. I will strive to give you the best of myself, while accepting you the way you are. I promise to respect you as a whole person with your own interests, desires, and needs, and to realize that those are sometimes different, but no less important than my own. I will cherish your beautiful heart, your free spirit and your little quirks and spend every day for the rest of my life making you happy. I love you, Ange."

"Jack, I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you in to my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams. I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face change as we both change, keeping our relationship alive and exciting. And finally, I promise to love you in good times and in bad, with all I have to give and all that I am, in the only way I know how -- completely and forever. I love you, Jack." The minister asked for the rings and Booth had to drag his eyes away from Brennan's where they had been locked since the ceremony began. Their eyes basically making the same vows to each other that Angela and Hodgins were speaking aloud. Booth placed the rings in Hodgins' outstretched hand and his eyes returned to Brennan's. Hodgins took Angela's left hand and slipped a plain platinum band onto her ring finger. He had wanted to buy her something much flashier, but she had insisted that this was what she wanted.

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness. As I place it on your finger, I commit my heart and soul to you." Angela took the other ring from his hand and slipped a matching band on the ring finger of his left hand.

"I give you this ring to wear with love and joy. As a ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I choose you to be my husband this day and forevermore." There wasn't a dry eye in the house as the assembly watched these two people who were so different that they shouldn't even be friends declare their obvious love and devotion to each other. It gave many in the group hope that they, too, would find someone so perfect for them. It even sobered up Hodgins' college jerk buddies and they vowed to straighten up and not ruin their friend's special day. The minister took back over the ceremony.

"May this couple be prepared to continue to give, be able to forgive and experience more and more joy with each passing day, with each passing year. Jack and Angela, are now beginning their married life together, we hope that they may have loving assistance from their family, the constant support of friends, and a long life with good health and everlasting love. In so much as Jack and Angela have consented to live forever together in wedlock, and have witnessed the same before this company, having given and pledged their love, each to the other, and having declared same by the giving and receiving of a ring, I pronounce that they are husband and wife." The minister gave the couple a grin. No matter how many times he said it, he always got a kick out of this next part. "You may now kiss the bride." Hodgins drew Angela to him and pressed a kiss of utter adoration on her lips. Drawing back, they smiled at each other and turned toward their guests who were now standing. The minister did his last duty.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Jack Hodgins." Angela had informed him that her last name would be Montenegro-Hodgins but had agreed to this being used in the ceremony. The happy couple walked down the aisle hand in hand followed by their best friends who were also hand in hand.


	34. Chapter 34

**Last chapter, guys. But I will be doing an epilogue. Thanks to everyone who stuck with me on this one. **

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Two hours later, the reception was in full swing. It was being held in a lavishly decorated banquet room at one of the best hotels in downtown DC. Champagne and caviar flowed freely, as well as almost anything else you could possibly want to eat. Angela had opted for a sumptuous buffet rather than a sit down meal to feed their guests. She and Hodgins had opened the dancing and she had danced with Chris in his role as father of the bride and so many other people that her feet hurt. She was now sitting out a few dances and watching the people around her to make sure they were having a good time. She felt arms slip around her waist and smiled over her shoulder as Hodgins sat down in a chair at her back and scooted her from the seat of her chair onto his lap.

"Hello, Mrs. Hodgins." His smile was ecstatic. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of saying that." Angela kissed him tenderly.

"Hello, Mr. Hodgins. And I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing it." He rested his chin on her shoulder as she turned back to people watching on the dance floor.

"Whatcha doing?" She nodded her head and Hodgins saw Booth and Brennan on the dance floor wrapped around each other slowly swaying to the music.

"Bren told me this morning that she wants to get married." His head jerked back in surprise.

"Really?" Angela nodded and patted the arms that were locked around her waist.

"Do you think I should tell Booth or just let him figure it out on his own?" Hodgins studied the couple and saw Booth lift Brennan's hand to his mouth and place a soft kiss in the palm, then place her hand over his heart and cover it with his own. Brennan looked up at him with love shining from her face. Hodgins returned his attention to Angela.

"I don't know, Ange. Maybe you should just sit this one out; they seem to be doing pretty well on their own." Angela thought that Hodgins was probably right and her eye and attention were caught by Chris sitting alone at the bar, nursing a drink. Angela drew Hodgins attention to the older man with a jerk of her chin.

"Bren and I decided that it's time for us to find someone for Dad." Hodgins almost choked and burst out laughing. He and Chris liked and respected each other. They had met for dinner or drinks several times and Chris' affection for Angela was clear and had earned him a place in Hodgins' heart as a friend, even though he had plainly stated that if Hodgins ever hurt Angela there would be some form of retribution. Hodgins figured that two overprotective fathers looking out for her should be enough to keep anyone from ever hurting Angela. Not that he ever would, but that was sure some motivation to watch it. He was also thankful to Chris for helping Angela and Brennan to put their pasts to rest over the last few months and personally felt that the man was one of the reasons he was here today with the love of his life now his wife.

"And what does Chris have to say about that?" Angela shrugged nonchantly.

"Nothing, but if Bren and I find someone good enough for him, I'm sure that he'll give them a chance." Hodgins was sure that if Brennan and Angela wanted Chris to run through the FBI building naked that he would give it a shot so he had no doubt that if the two showed up with the Bride of Frankenstein and told Chris to go out with her that he would, just to keep his girls happy. He chuckled again until another thought hit him. _What if they found someone and she broke Chris' heart. Holy Crap, he wouldn't want to be that woman when these two got a hold of her._ He remembered the pranks they had played on people that were just being mean to them, he hated to think what they would do to someone that hurt their dad. He frowned and tugged on an earlobe as he struggled to find words to say what he wanted to say without pissing off his bride of less than three hours.

"Ange, sometimes things don't work out with people and it's no one's fault. You and Brennan need to understand that before you start this quest to fix Chris up." When he got no response, he realized that she hadn't even heard him and looked to see her regarding the wedding planner assessingly with narrowed eyes.

"How old do you think she is?" she threw over her shoulder when she saw Hodgins was also looking at the woman. Hodgins shrugged.

"Late forties maybe. Why?" Angela continued her regard.

"Do you think she's pretty?"

"Yeah, I guess. For an older woman, she's very attractive. Ange, you're not thinking of fixing Chris up with the wedding planner, are you?" Angela scoffed and turned sideways in his lap, slipping her arms around his neck.

"Of course not, Jack. At least not until Booth runs a background check on her." She smiled at his shock. "Come on, Hodgins, you don't think we'd fix him up with just anybody, do you?" Hodgins gave up. He just smiled and thought of all the amusing moments to come as Brennan and Angela looked for the perfect woman for Chris. That man had so much trouble coming his way that Hodgins felt a little sorry for him. He also got a good chuckle out of the thought of the two women making Booth run background checks on any possible candidates. Hell, they would probably hire private detectives to follow them. He decided that he didn't want to know how far they would go to verify they had found the perfect woman before his imagination really got carried away.

Chris sat at the bar, feeling happy and sad at the same time. He was very happy for Angela and Temperence, but he was sad that he had been usurped in their lives. He knew that he had a permanent place in their hearts and didn't begrudge Hodgins or Booth one iota of affection that the girls gave them. He figured that this was how all fathers felt when their little girls grew up and didn't need them quite as much anymore. Angela and Brennan had come to him separately and together and reassured him that he would always be a part of their lives and their feelings for him would never change. He thought his girls worrying about his feelings being hurt was just about the sweetest thing that he'd ever seen.

Someone sitting beside him at the bar drew his attention and he looked over to see Dr. Lance Sweets take a stool. Angela had introduced them earlier and gleefully told Sweets that Chris was her and Brennan's therapist. Sweets had regarded Chris with a narrow eyed glare as if he had personally offended him somehow and Chris had been expecting Sweets to seek him out ever since. Sweets smiled at Chris and ordered a drink. The bartender carded him and Chris hid his amusement. Sweets' face flamed but he held onto his composure, turning to Chris to start the questioning that he was expecting.

"So, Mr. Murphy, you're the therapist that Dr Brennan and Angela chose?" He sounded a little hurt and confused. Chris nodded and Sweets plowed ahead.

"Do you mind if I ask what school you graduated from?" Although his tone was still pleasant, Sweets voice rose a little. Chris shrugged at the question.

"The school of life, son." Chris turned to face the young man fully. He wanted to see his reaction. A look of horror crossed his face, but was quickly replaced by an impassive expression and a raised brow.

"I'm sorry? Are you saying that you don't have any formal training as a psychologist?" Chris eyed the young man closely. He had been fully prepared to dislike this young man after he had been so intrusive with his girls, but the bottom line was that they had sought to face the past partly because of Sweets' interference and Chris was an excellent judge of character. He didn't see a malicious, nosy, busybody with freakishly large lips as Angela had once described the kid. He saw a young man uncertain about himself and his abilities and trying to hide it behind a wall of superiority. A young man that would probably be excellent at his job once he had some life experience under his belt and could rely on his gut instead of his books to help people. With a sigh, Chris decided to give the kid a chance.

"No, I don't have any formal training. But I've interacted with every type of personality out there over the years and after a while, you just learn how to deal with them all." Sweets reached over and patted Chris' arm condenscendingly. Chris' eyes narrowed and he picked up his drink.

"I understand that you feel qualified. I'm just questioning if you actually _are _qualified to counsel Dr Brennan and Angela, cause, Dude, I gotta tell you those two are seriously messed up." By the time Sweets finished his sentence, he sounded like the twelve year old that Brennan claimed him to be, and even though Chris' hackles rose at Sweets saying that his girls were seriously messed up, he had to acknowledge that from a professional stand point it was true. He raised a brow at Sweets.

"Seriously messed up? Is that a clinical term, Dr. Sweets?" Sweets' face flamed then he grinned and raised his glass to Chris.

"Touche, Mr. Murphy." Chris relaxed. _Damn the kid was getting to him_. He never couldstand to see anyone be an outsider. He knew too well what that felt like.

"You can call me Chris." Sweets looked like he had just won the lottery.

"Really? You can call me Lance. I can't seem to get anyone else to." Chris choked back his laughter. Now the kid sounded like a whiny five year old as his eyes darted around the room, lighting on Angela and Hodgins and Brennan and Booth. Sweets turned back to Chris.

"Why wouldn't they talk to me?" he was genuinely bewildered, Chris saw and realized that it looked like he had just adopted another stray. Not that he would ever choose Sweets over Brennan or Angela or betray their confidences, but the kid obviously needed guidance from someone and Chris knew himself well enough to know that he needed someone to guide.

"Look, Lance, some people you just can't push and they happen to be two of those people. Maybe, you take a little too much interest in them for it to be healthy." This was Chris' personal opinion. Angela's was that the little perv needed to be locked up somewhere dark and damp. Brennan's was that Sweets really "creeped her lately" and he might benefit from a little therapy of his own. Sweets face turned very red but he appeared to be considering the advice and Chris threw in the rest of what he needed to say. "Now listen closely, Lance, because I'm going to give you the best piece of advice that you've ever received." Sweets leaned forward like an eager puppy begging to be scratched behind the ears. Chris turned on his barstool to face the room as did Sweets. "Do you see those two women?" Chris pointed out Brennan and Angela. Sweets gave him a funny look but nodded and Chris continued. "I love both of them like daughters and if you ever mess with them again, intentional or not," Chris held up his hand to stall Sweets' interruption to protest his innocence, "you will answer to me and I would guess that Booth and Jack will want a piece of the action." Sweets' eyes were the size of saucers and Chris was glad to see that the kid seemed to be taking him seriously because he was deadly serious. "But, the thing is, Lance, that it's not really us that you should worry about." Sweets' swallowed hard.

"It's not?" he squeaked. Chris placed his elbows on the bar behind him and leaned back on the bar.

"Nope. It's them." He again pointed to Angela and Brennan. "Because what those two do to people that seriously piss them off is not pretty." Chris' shudder was real as he vividly recalled a life sized smurf and bald artists and they had only been children then. He couldn't even imagine what they could come up with now. He clapped Sweets on the shoulder. "Trust me, son, you don't want any part of that. So, back off and let them come to you if they ever want to." Sweets nodded and sagged dejectedly on his stool. Chris laughed and turned back to the bar signaling for another drink.

Booth and Brennan had been on the dance floor for the last half hour and neither felt the need to leave it anytime soon. They were pressed against each other with Brennan's head resting on his shoulder and her arms around his waist as she burrowed into him almost as if she was trying to crawl inside his skin with him. His arms were locked around her waist as they swayed to the dreamy music being played by the orchestra. Walking down the aisle after Angela and Hodgins, they had both realized that they felt different. Almost as if this had been their wedding and they were both savoring the feeling and dreaming about when they would be walking down the aisle for real, communicating with their bodies rather than talking.

"Booth?"

"Hmmm."

"When we get married, can we have a small, private ceremony? I really don't want to turn into Godzilla." Booth didn't correct her or even laugh because he had the feeling that if Brennan turned into Bridezilla she could cause just as much destruction in the form of chaos and fear and Godzilla sweeping through the city.

"Yeah, Baby, we can do that." He dropped a kiss on her head.

"Booth?"

"Hmmm?"

"How much vacation time do you have?" He glanced down at her curiously, but she remained relaxed against him.

"About eight weeks. Why?" She shrugged and he tipped her chin up with one hand, bending his head to look directly into her eyes. He could see the wheels turning, she was definitely thinking hard about something.

"What's going on in there, Baby?" he nudged her forehead with his. She looked a little hesitant to tell him. "Come on, Bones, you can tell me anything."

"Well, I was just thinking that Hawaii is really nice this time of year and Parker would like it over there. Plus, Angela and Hodgins always like to visit and Maestro has been working too hard. He could use a vacation." Booth's eyes narrowed as he attempted to read the subtext of her words and then it hit him. A smile of incredible joy lit his face and both hands came up to cup her cheeks.

"Are you serious?" He barely waited for her nod, before leaning down and taking her lips in a passionate kiss. Her arms slipped around his neck and she responded to the kiss. Booth finally remembered where they were and pulled back to find several people looking at them. Neither one of them cared but he thought they should take this somewhere a little more private. He took Brennan's hand and led her from the dance floor heading for the exit. He was stopped by Angela moving to plant herself directly in his path.

"Where are you going, Booth? You know, it's just rude to leave the reception before the bride and groom. And I want Bren here when I throw the bouquet." Angela was laughing at their haste to leave the room. She had seen the kiss on the dance floor and had a good idea that they weren't going any further than upstairs, but she wasn't going to miss the opportunity to give Bren a little push by making sure she caught the bridal bouquet. Booth gave her a shrug and a sheepish smile. Brennan knew why Angela wanted her to catch the bouquet because Angela had explained every single ritual associated with a wedding to her ad nauseum. And she had a very big surprise for Angela.

"Angela, although I understand that these rituals are important to you, catching your bouquet in no way influences who among your guests is the next to get married." Angela narrowed her eyes at Brennan and Brennan grinned at her. "Besides, I don't need it." It took Angela a moment to catch on then both hands flew to her mouth to muffle her squeals. She looked from the radiantly happy faces of the couple standing before her and tears flowed freely down her cheeks. She was so happy for all of them that she couldn't speak so she just went to Brennan and hugged her tightly. Hodgins stumbled into this scene and was concerned when he saw that Angela was crying until he saw everyone's faces and realized that they were tears of joy. He pulled Booth aside to get the scoop. He didn't even have to ask. Booth was eager to share.

"Bones and I are getting married." A wide grin split Hodgins face and he held out his hand to his best friend. A man that he respected and admired greatly.

"Congratulations, man. That's great. When?" Booth shrugged.

"Not sure yet, but soon. We were headed to discuss it when your bride interrupted us." Booth cast Angela a disgruntled look. Hodgins crossed his arms over his chest and laughed.

"Oh, please, Dude. I saw the way you were kissing out on the dance floor and you weren't heading out to "discuss" anything." Hodgins looked on in interest as Booth blushed at the truth of his friend's statement. Booth was saved from coming up with an answer by Angela throwing her arms around him, blubbering her congratulations. He was saved from a blubbering Angela by the wedding planner approaching and reminding her that it was time to throw the bouquet.

Angela dried her tears and grabbed Brennan's arm. Booth could tell from the eye movements, raised brows and head nods and shakes that the two women were having a conversation, but he and Hodgins had no idea about what. The wedding planner turned to lead Angela to her place for the coming ritual. The women fell into step on either side of her and Hodgins and Booth laughed as they heard their conversation.

"So, Julie, I notice that you're not wearing a wedding ring. Are you married?" Julie looked startled at Angela's question but answered.

"No, Mrs. Hodgins, I'm not married." Angela and Brennan shared a look over the shorter woman's head.

"Are you involved in a relationship of any kind at this time? Please include any casual sexual relationships that you currently enjoy." Brennan apparently needed specifics. Julie did a double take at the question and looked like she might just make a run for it. Angela and Brennan both reached out and took hold of one of her arms, Brennan gripping firmly and Angela patting reassuringly. Julie looked over her shoulder pleadingly, but the men were laughing too hard to be of any assistance. Angela recalled Julie's attention to the question currently on the floor.

"So, Julie, is that a yes or a no to Bren's question?" Julie knew that she wouldn't be able to break Brennan's grip. The woman wasn't hurting her, but she wasn't going anywhere until the good doctor released her. She decided to just answer the question, then maybe these two crazy women would let her go.

"No, I am not currently involved in _any type_ of relationship." Brennan and  
Angela smiled at each other.

"Excellent." Angela was finding the woman's answers pleasing but she also found the look on her face quite humorous as did Brennan.

"Do you have a criminal record?" Angela asked and Brennan stirred the pot.

"You really should tell us the truth because my fiancée is an FBI agent and I can assure you that the background check he will be running will pick up any criminal offenses." Julie was looking at the two women as if she was wondering where the men with the straight jackets were but they continued, oblivious to her reaction and, apparently, unaware that personal boundaries existed.

"How old are you?" Hodgins and Booth were both bent over holding their stomachs with tears streaming down their faces when the three women passed out of earshot. Both men felt a little sorry for Chris, but they felt damn sorry for the women that were about to become the focus of Angela and Brennan's attention. The rest of the reception went off without a hitch, although Julie quickly disappeared if she even thought Brennan or Angela was heading her way. Hodgins and Angela left the reception in a shower of confetti and good wishes to begin their life together, both knowing that they would have to work to maintain their relationship, but when the relationship is with your soul mate putting in a little work isn't so much to ask. They would be more than ok. They would be great.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

THREE WEEKS LATER ON ONE OF THE BEACHES OF OAHUA AT SUNSET

Booth and Brennan stood nearly at the water's edge surrounded by an island minister, Angela, Hodgins, Parker and Chris. Today was their wedding day. Brennan would have been perfectly happy with a civil ceremony in DC or here on the island but Booth insisted on something more romantic and Brennan gave in easily when she saw that this was important to him. _So, here they stood all seven of them barefoot, _thought Brennan and she swallowed a giggle. She knew that she didn't want to be anywhere else at this moment and that she wanted to marry Booth, have a child with him and build a life with him but she was nervous. Until he took both of her hands in his and smiled gently at her. It calmed her nerves instantly and she smiled back. It was time for them to recite their vows to each other.

Temperence Brennan, from the moment I first saw you, I knew that my life would never be the same. Your beauty, heart, and mind inspired me to be the best person I could be and I fell more in love with you every day. I've loved you for so long that I don't even remember when I didn't. I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side building a home and a family. I can only offer you all my worldly possessions and my son today because you already hold my heart. I promise to love you for eternity, respecting you, honoring you, being faithful to you, and sharing my life with you. This is my solemn vow. Tears were streaming down Brennan's and Angela's faces. Booth lifted Brennan's hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss into the palm then guided it to lay over his heart placing his over it. Angela sobbed openly at the romanticism of the gesture and the obvious love between these two such special people. Brennan got herself under control enough to repeat her vows.

"I love you, Seeley Booth. When I met you, I certainly never thought I would say those words to you. I didn't think I would ever say those words to anyone. I liked living in my world of science and reason but you wouldn't let me stay there. You dragged me out of my world and into yours and I thank you for it. You made me start seeing the people around me and I'm a better person for it. You made me start caring about people again and you made me feel safe and I love you for it. You gave me back things and people that are precious to me and I can never repay that, but I will spend the rest of my life standing by your side, loving you, being your partner in every way. I accept the offer of your son and promise to make him my own." A single tear slipped down Booth's cheek as he reached out and wiped the tears from Brennan's face with the thumb of his free hand, the other still resting over his heart. They shared an intimate smile and Brennan turned to Parker.

"It's your turn now, Parker," she prompted the nervous little boy. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it. Booth and Brennan had both offered to help him write his vows but he had insisted on doing it on his own. He took a deep breath and began.

"I, Parker Booth, promise to love, respect and obey Bones as my stepmother. I promise to be the best big brother in the world if anybody ever gets around to getting me a little brother or sister." Everyone giggled at this one. The little boy ignored them and continued. "And I promise to never, ever go into Dad's and Bone's bedroom again without knocking." Parker looked up at the guffaws of laughter that greeted his last promise and saw everyone but his dad and Bones bent over in laughter. They were both blushing profusely. Parker looked at them in confusion. "Did I do something wrong, Dad?" Brennan reached out and softly brushed the blond curls off of his forehead.

"No, Parker, you didn't do anything wrong. You were perfect." Parker beamed at the praise and the adults got themselves under control enough to finish the ceremony. The minister gave a blessing to the union, pronounced them man and wife and told Booth that he could kiss the bride.

Booth reached out and slowly drew her into his arms as her arms slid up to encircle his neck. His head bent, but he was taking his time. He wanted to remember their first kiss as man and wife for the rest of his life. His lips touched hers and lightly rubbed against them a couple of times before he increased the pressure and parted her lips. He was startled when the tip of her tongue darted into his mouth and the kiss instantly turned passionate with his tongue following hers as it retreated and slipping past her parted lips to tease and explore. His arms tightened and she pressed herself against him. Damn, it turned him on to be kissing his wife, he thought hazily just as Hodgins grabbed his hand before it went somewhere it shouldn't go in front of his son. Hodgins jerked on his arm twice before he got Booth's attention. Booth and Brennan separated both breathing hard and stared into each other's eyes, having one of their silent conversations.

Booth: We'll finish this later, wife.

Brennan: Oh, yes, we most certainly will, husband.

Booth: I love you, Bones.

Brennan: I love you, too, Booth.

Hand in hand they followed the others toward the beach house where they were all staying. Both happier and more content than they had ever been as they walked into their future.


	35. Chapter 35

**Well, boys and girls, this is it. The end. I have certainly enjoyed the ride and appreciate the warm welcome I received here. Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

EPILOGUE- THREE YEARS LATER

Brennan and Angela both reclined in their hospital beds. The door opened and they both sat up and smiled at each other as two bassinettes were wheeled into the room. One was wheeled to Angela and the other to Brennan. The nurses scooped up the tiny bundles and placed them in their mother's arms. Both babies were hungry and immediately began rooting around for their dinner and fussing. Each mother bared a breast and offered it to her daughter and smiled over at her best friend as their babies began to suckle. Their daughters had been born in the same room within seven minutes of each other the night before and Angela said it was because they already knew that they were going to be best friends for life and were anxious to meet each other.

When Angela and Brennan had discovered that they were pregnant within one day of each other and had the same due date, Angela had placidly insisted that the babies would be born at the same time and told Hodgins to fix it so she and Brennan could be in the same room when their daughters were born. Hodgins had been skeptical, as had Brennan. Booth had reserved judgment. When ultrasounds verified that both women were carrying girls, Hodgins had donated enough money to the hospital to build a new wing to get Angela what she wanted.

Brennan had been reaching for the phone to call Angela and tell her that Booth was taking her to the hospital when the phone rang. It was Angela and she was on her way to the hospital. They arrived within minutes of each other and were wheeled into a labor room that had been equipped especially for them, but, hey, when you donate 10 million dollars to something you deserve a few perks.

Angela's daughter, Chloe, was born first. Hodgins at her side holding one hand and the other hand stretched out and holding Brennan's as she lay in the other bed clutching Booth's hand. Her daughter, Morgan, was born seven minutes later. The night of the babies' births, the nurse had come in and told Brennan and Angela that there might be a problem with the babies. They could not get them to stop crying in the nursery, they had been crying for hours. Brennan panicked but Angela told the nurse to bring them in. The nurse didn't like it but she brought the babies in while they waited on the doctor to come in and examine them. They were screaming their heads off.

Angela told the nurse to put them in the same bassinette. The nurse was scandalized and refused saying that it wasn't sanitary to put them in the same bassinette. Angela had snapped at the woman to get out and transferred Chloe to Morgan's bassinette, telling Brennan that the play date tonight was at Morgan's but they would use Chloe's for the next play date. Angela unwrapped the girls and scooted them close to each other. They quieted instantly, snuggling together and closing their eyes. When the doctor came in, he declared them perfectly healthy and wrote orders for them to share a bassinette on demand. Angela smirked and the nurse glared at her. Brennan looked at Angela in awe, asking her how she knew they wanted to be with each other. Angela had complacently replied, "They're our daughters, Bren."

Booth and Hodgins were ecstatic with their daughters, praising them and their wives lavishly. The next morning six dozen red roses arrived for each woman from their respective husbands. The two couples had grown incredibly close over the last three years and were as proud of each other's child as they were their own. Parker was also ecstatic when he found out that he was finally going to be a big brother. He was a little disappointed when he found out the baby was a girl, but his heart melted when he saw her for the first time and Brennan and Booth both fought back tears as their son held his baby sister and promised to always look out for her because that's what big brothers do.

Not everything over the last three years had been easy for either couple. Hodgins and Angela had a harder time adjusting to married life that Booth and Brennan because they were already together almost 24/7 and little things had gotten so blown out of proportion that they had almost split a couple of times in the first 18 months. Their best friends had helped them sit down and talk things out and saved their marriage. Booth and Brennan's problems were a little more complicated. They had been split up as partners. That they had actually expected and were more or less prepared for. It was the curve ball that the FBI threw their way that caused problems.

The Bureau considered Brennan a valuable asset and wanted to keep her happy. Although they were adamant about splitting her and Booth up, they offered to assign her another partner or she could assign one of her interns to do the field work and supervise the cases from the lab and Booth would remain as the liaison between the Jeffersonian and the FBI. Brennan hadn't wanted to give up her field work and Booth didn't want her in the field with anyone but him. He just didn't trust anyone else to protect her. It was a very difficult decision for Brennan. Even though she loved Booth more every day, she rebelled when Booth ordered her to stay in the lab where she belonged. She had finally decided that Booth's peace of mind was more important to her than continuing to work in the field, but it had taken them quite some time to work through the feelings of resentment caused by the episode.

They had barely reached an even keel from this when their second big issue came up. Brennan's presence had been requested in Guatemala by the State Department. A mass grave containing over 200 bodies at first count had been discovered and the currently reigning regime had requested assistance in excavation and identification of the genocide victims.

Brennan didn't even think of refusing and was shocked when Booth threw a hissy fit. She calmly explained her reasons for going. He not so calmly yelled that it was too dangerous and she wasn't going. He knew it was a stupid thing to say the instant it left his mouth, but it was how he felt and he was too stubborn to take it back. They didn't speak for two days. The morning of the third day, the day that she was scheduled to leave, she told him that this was not just part of her job, that doing this, giving those victims' identities and returning them to their families was part of who she was and she wouldn't change it if she could. She told him that she was sorry he didn't understand but she would see him in two weeks when she got home.

She was angry at his pug headedness as she had inaccurately pegged it, but she was crushed that he hadn't known how important her work with genocide victims was to her after all their time together. _If he hadn't known something so basic, what had their partnership really been about? Was she just fooling herself that she could have a forever with anyone, even Booth? _

Booth saw the sadness and doubt in her eyes as she walked out the door with her suitcases so she could go from the Jeffersonian to the airport this afternoon and avoid a lot of traffic. He hadn't even told her he loved her, he realized with shame. He knew that he had reacted like a jerk and been an even bigger jerk about backing down. If he didn't watch it, he was going to drive away the best thing that had ever happened to him. _How the hell was he going to fix this?_ He hadn't changed his mind. He thought it was too dangerous for her to be where she was going. _Then go with her_. He stopped in his tracks as the solution came to him. He grabbed his phone and sprinted out the door. He had a lot to get done in a few hours.

He met her at the airport. She thought he had come to say goodbye and the joy on her face at seeing him made him ashamed. He had hurt the woman that he had promised to protect from hurt for the rest of his life and it broke his heart that she was so willing to forgive him. They fell into each other's arms, apologizing and holding tight to one another. They learned a lot from this. Brennan agreed to limit her adventures and Booth went with her when she went out of the country. So far, that was working for them.

The only other real issue they'd had, oddly enough, was Chris. Brennan and Angela had tackled finding an appropriate companion for their dad with more than enthusiasm. They were organized, methodical and scary as hell. Booth thought that the two of them could easily take over a small, third world country with very few men if they were in charge of the military. They screened and rescreened candidates and discarded any that had less than a 95% probability of being compatible with Chris.

The problem came up when they brought Booth a list of 31 names and demanded that he do background checks on all of the women so they could weed out any undesirables without Chris having to meet them. Actually, Angela had demanded. Brennan had asked nicely and given him a tantalizing incentive to cooperate, but he'd had to say no. Neither woman had been particularly understanding and he had been treated to melodrama from Angela and the cold shoulder from Brennan for a full week, before they suddenly returned to normal.

Suspicious, he and Hodgins had requested an explanation (thank goodness, the girls had actually been able to teach them that demanding gets you nowhere by now). Angela happily explained that since Booth wouldn't help them they had hired people who would. Hodgins had scoffed and told the women that it would take a private detective forever to check out 31 women. Brennan had politely responded that it was a good thing that they hadn't hired one private detective to check out all the woman. They had hired one private detective per woman, a total of thirty-one in all, it was more efficient that way. Booth and Hodgins were flabbergasted. Brennan and Angela told them to butt out and they did.

The private detectives followed each woman for a full month before Angela and Brennan were satisfied that they had enough data. They easily discarded 12 women and then started scheduling dates for Chris. The man never knew what hit him. He went on date after date and was required to check in with the girls after each one so they could gather more data to further determine the couple's compatibility. Booth and Hodgins felt sorry for Chris. Not sorry enough to interfere and risk the wrath of Brennan and Angela but sorry nonetheless. After several months of this (eight to be precise), Chris had begun to look for his own dates out of sheer self preservation. Luckily, within the month, he met a very nice woman at the bar he liked to go to occasionally and they hit it off. Her name was Julie Sharp and she was very into Chris until she saw Angela and Brennan at his apartment one day. Then she ran for her life. She remembered these two crazy women and wanted nothing to do with anyone associated with them.

It took Chris two months to convince Julie that Brennan and Angela weren't mentally unstable and get her to go out with him again. He had kept the three women apart for several months until he was sure that he and Julie were going to work out, and then introduced them to his fiancé. To his and Julie's surprise, they were very happy for them. All they wanted was for him to be happy. They did hire a private detective to follow Julie but since he didn't find anything and they didn't get caught, they thought it best not to share this little tidbit. Chris and Julie had been married for almost eighteen months and were thrilled to be double grandparents at one time.

Brennan pulled her adoring gaze from her daughter as the door to their room opened and visitors started filing in. Booth, Hodgins, Chris, Julie, Sweets, Carolyn Julian. She looked over at Angela and they shared one of their silent messages. For two little girls that had lost almost everyone and everything that was important to them, they had a lot of special people in their lives and a lot of love in their hearts. They had chosen their own fates and no matter what happened from here, they would be ok because they had each other and this wonderful family.


End file.
